John,

A historic event is about to begin: the first ever U.S. Senate confirmation hearing for an out transgender person. Soon, Dr. Rachel Levine will answer questions from members of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions about her nomination to be Assistant Secretary of Health. And among the committee members asking questions is our first out U.S. Senator, Tammy Baldwin! You can watch the historic hearing live here.

Through our Presidential Appointments Initiative, Victory Institute worked closely with Dr. Levine, her staff and President Biden's team to prepare for this important moment. While Dr. Levine’s nomination is a milestone for our community, make no mistake that she was nominated because she is overwhelmingly qualified for the role. This is just an overview of her credentials:

After graduating from Harvard University and Tulane Medical school, Dr. Levine completed her residency in pediatrics at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she also taught.
While serving on staff at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Dr. Levine founded the Center's adolescent medicine division and eating disorders clinic, while also on the board of Equality Pennsylvania.
After being chosen to be Pennsylvania’s Physician General by Governor Tom Wolf, Dr. Levine was confirmed three times by the Republican-controlled state Senate and applauded for her efforts to address the state's opioid crisis.
As Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health, Dr. Levine received national commendation for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All these accolades and experience didn’t come easy. She faced constant transphobic attacks as she provided Pennsylvanians with critical COVID-19 updates. Yet she responded with courage and grace and used the moment to urge greater understanding of trans issues and trans lives.

While we hope that Senators focus on her experience and that the hearing is free from anti-trans bigotry, we know that some might attempt to smear Dr. Levine's record using transphobic attacks. Dr. Levine has faced down bigots before and we know that she will rise to the occasion. Victory Institute will be ready to fight on her behalf because we know that she will make our country and our community proud. To quote President Biden, Dr. Levine is "a historic and deeply qualified choice".

If you can power our continued work to add out voices to the federal government and defend our appointees from anti-LGBTQ attacks, I appreciate it.

More updates to come,

Ruben J. Gonzales
Pronouns: he|him|his
Executive Director, LGBTQ Victory Institute

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Victory Institute is a global organization dedicated to elevating openly LGBTQ leaders who can further equality at all levels of government. Through our trainings, professional development programs and yearly conferences, Victory Institute prepares hundreds of out individuals to launch an influential careers in politics, government, business and advocacy. Many of our trainees join the more than 1,000 openly LGBTQ elected and appointed officials now serving around the world.

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