Amanda Simpson, a Raytheon employee, former test pilot, and one-time Congressional candidate, made history today when she became the first-ever Presidential appointee who is transgender. Simpson, who underwent her transition while employed at Raytheon, will serve as a Senior Technical Adviser at the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security.
Simpson's most recent job was as the Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Arizona.
Although a House vote in 2007 on the Employee Non-Discriminiation Act excluded transgender individuals as part of a deal backed by the mainstream Human Rights Campaign, then-Senator Barack Obama supported a fully inclusive ENDA during his campaign for the presidency. However, a House vote on ENDA was put off until later in 2010, and some LGBT rights advocates worry that it will fall by the wayside as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allows Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his cantankerous caucus to take the lead on controversial legislation in an effort to preserve her majority in 2011.
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