Transgender Appointee Begins Work at Commerce Department
One of the first-ever transgender presidential appointees, a former test pilot named Amanda who used to be called Mitch, began work Tuesday at the Commerce Department.
Amanda Simpson was appointed to be a senior technical adviser in the department's Bureau of Industry and Security.
She worked in the aerospace and defense industry for three decades and most recently worked for Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz. According to MyFoxPhoenix, she made history in 2004 by becoming the first openly transgender candidate to win a primary -- she ran for the Arizona House of Representatives but lost in the general election.
Simpson said in a written statement that she was "truly honored" to join the Commerce Department.
"As one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others," she said, in a statement put out by The National Center for Transgender Equality, where Simpson served as a board member.
According to a 2002 article on Simpson in the Arizona Daily Star, she went under the name Mitch for 39 years until undergoing six surgeries at a cost of $70,000 to make the transition from male to female. In no way do I need to know this person is a woman who used to be a man, how much she paid to change her gender, or that she's waving the Transgender flag. NOR do I think it is important for the American public to know.
Does this, in any way, impact how she does the job at hand? No!!
Same goes for the appointments of LGBT personnel, or concerning any other gender or sexual-preference distinction.
Congrats on the job, Miss Simpson. I too sure hope to make headlines when I take a position and announce how proud I am to be a former ____(fill in the blank)_______ that has nothing to do with my qualifications or job performance.
Stop wasting your headlines, folks.
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