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Gautam Raghavan, who addressed President Barack Obama here in 2013, joins a wave of newly elected LGBTQ officials joining the Biden-Harris administration.
Pete Souza/White House
Gautam Raghavan, an openly gay Indian American, will join the new Biden administration as deputy director of the Presidential Personnel Office, the president-elect’s transition team announced.
During the Obama administration, Raghavan served as the White House liaison for the LGBTQ, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities. In his post in the Biden administration, he will be responsible for recruiting and vetting top candidates for at least 4,000 political appointments at federal agencies, from the Department of Labor to the Attorney General’s Office.
“These experienced people join my administration as we implement policies that will put our country on a path to building back better than ever before,” Biden said in a press release. “They are respected leaders whose values and priorities align with mine and who will faithfully carry out their roles to serve the American people.”
Gautam Raghavan appointed as Deputy Director of the Presidential Personnel Department
Raghavan praised the government’s choice in a tweet.
On December 22, Raghavan tweeted: “The time has come for an administration that is American again and produces positive outcomes for all Americans.” Alright, let’s go! “
As a senior member of President Obama’s White House team, Raghavan led conversations on immigration reform, transgender rights, and marriage equality.
President Barack Obama changed his stance on same-sex marriage during his administration. The president announced his support for marriage equality in 2012, despite opposing it during the 2008 campaign. Two years later, he signed an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The LGBTQ Victory Institute, an affiliate and advocacy group of the LGBTQ Victory Fund that works to elect gay candidates to political office, praised the administration’s selection.
“Gautam’s appointment demonstrates the president-elect’s long-term commitment to building an administration that reflects America,” Annise Parker, the group’s president and former three-term Houston mayor, said in a written statement. Stated. “He believes a diverse administration is best for the president and our country, and has made appointing talented LGBTQ people, women, and people of color to all levels of government a priority over the next four years. I guarantee that it will continue to exist.”
Since President Bill Clinton took office, the Victory Institute’s Presidential Appointments Initiative has endorsed LGBTQ candidates in hopes of diversifying the makeup of the executive branch. The organization said Raghavan is skilled at identifying community needs.
“Mr. Gautam also understands that our community is not monolithic and that LGBTQ people of all races, sexual orientations, and gender identities must be part of the new administration,” they wrote in a press release. ing. “He is an excellent choice and our Presidential Appointments Initiative team looks forward to continuing to work with him.”
Raghavan was born in India, raised in Seattle, and graduated from Stanford University. Currently he lives in Washington DC with his husband and his daughter.
Raghavan joins newly appointed LGBTQ officials on Biden’s 2021 team, including Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation and Karine Jean-Pierre as White House Deputy Press Secretary.
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