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.