First transgender hired on Capitol Hill

[ccharles000]

http://www.365gay.com/news/first-transgender-hired-on-capitol-hill/

(Washington) Diego Miguel Sanchez has become the first openly transgender person to work on Capitol Hill.

Sanchez was hired by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Chairman, House Financial Services Committee to serve as his Legislative Assistant for LGBT, Healthcare, Labor, Veterans and Census issues.

Sanchez takes up the new position on Jan. 6.

Until his appointmen, Sanchez served as Director of Public Relations & External Affairs for AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, New England’s first and largest AIDS organization, and AIDS Action Council in Washington, DC.

He directed media relations for the National AIDS Strategy Coalition, which successfully urged President-elect Barack Obama to support the design and implementation of a national AIDS strategy for the United States.

Earlier this year, Sanchez became the first transgender person appointed to a standing committee of the national Democratic party, the DNC Platform Committee.

As a member of the Platform Committee, he successfully worked to include support for a national AIDS strategy, federal employment protections based on both gender identity and sexual orientation, and affirmation of same-sex couples as families.

He was also appointed to the positions of Party Leader and At-Large Delegate to the 2008 Convention in Denver. Sanchez served on President-elect Barack Obama’s LGBT Policy Advisory Committee and Transgender Policy Sub-Committee and previously was a national LGBT advisor for Senator Hillary Clinton’s Presidential Campaign.

In July 2008, he testified before Congress as one of three transgender witnesses on the issue of employment discrimination faced by the transgender community.

[lightningandsnow]

1. That's awesome.

Best of luck to him!

[Captain Hilts]

2. Stupid question.

How does this come up? How do they know?

[rug]

3. This is how you do it..

[MikeE]

4. That's Fantastic!

The trans community is really making progress!!!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Getting transgender people out in the open

in public positions like this helps the public realize--hey they are PEOPLE JUST LIKE ME in that they have the same wishes for a better society, are hard workers, etc, etc.