The Lavender Bar Association of Orange County extends its heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Rachel Levine on her confirmation as Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services!  Dr. Levine was nominated to the position by President Joe Biden and confirmed by a bi-partisan vote in the Senate, making Levine the first openly transgender person approved by the Senate and the highest ranking transgender person serving in the federal government.  Dr. Levine boasts stellar credentials.  Educated at Harvard and Tulane Medical School, Dr. Levine serves as the Secretary of the Department of Public Health for the state of Pennsylvania, President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and as a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine.  She formerly served as the Pennsylvania Physician General from 2015 to 2017.  Dr. Levine has won wide-spread praise for her calm and expert handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in her home state, skills she will take to her new, nationwide role.  Dr. Levine’s confirmation eloquently speaks to the fact that, when given the chance, LGBTQ people can and do belong anywhere their hard work, talent and intellect can take them.  Well done, Dr. Levine!