Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine – Photo: Chris Sean Smith/ U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
Admiral Rachel Levine, the Assistant Secretary of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has called on Americans to stop politically-motivated attacks on transgender people, especially trans youth.
Speaking in a pre-recorded video aired during a Pride Month event hosted by the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., Levine, who is Jewish, slammed proposed bills and recently passed laws seeking to restrict transgender rights, calling on Americans to “stand together against bullying.”
Appearing in full military uniform in the video, Levine explained how many transgender people in America are facing turbulent times, noting: “The past few months have been a difficult time for our LGBTQI+ community in the United States.”
“Attacks on the health and well-being of trans youth and trans adults have driven a political wedge into what should be a private, strictly medical conversation,” Levine continued. “Now we all need to stand together against bullying in public. We see that kind of emotional abuse in our communities.”
While Levine did not single out any particular person or entity in her speech, Republican lawmakers in more than two dozen states have proposed bills or executive orders to remove protections for, or restrict the rights of, LGBTQ individuals.
“No one deserves that kind of treatment,” Levine said. “Certainly not a young person or teenager who’s already more likely to face bullying at school.”
Uzra Zeya, the State Department’s undersecretary for human rights, also appeared at the Israeli Embassy Pride event. In remarks, Zeya discussed advancements that have benefitted LGBTQ people made possible by U.S. and Israeli cooperation.
“We celebrate that Israel has a strong and diverse LGBTQI plus organizational network, the earliest of these organizations going back nearly 50 years,” she said. “The United States and Israel are working together throughout the UN system to counter hate speech and promote gender equality LGBTQI+ rights, women’s empowerment, and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [Convention], among many other issues.”
Michael Herzog, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, also attended the event, stating in his own remarks that “Israel is a natural partner in advancing these values.”
Respect for the rights of sexual and gender minorities has generally been prioritized by lawmakers in Israel, which is the only major Middle East nation with legal protections for LGBTQ people. The nation has recently banned gay conversion therapy and lifted bans on same-sex couples adopting children, in contrast with recent political trends in the United States.
“We must strongly advocate for the most underserved and marginalized in our LGBTQ+ community, including our trans youth, and trans women of color,” Levine said in her prepared remarks. “You should all be able to live your lives no matter who you are, or who you love.”
On Monday, November 10, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected former Kentucky county clerk and same-sex marriage opponent Kim Davis' appeal of a lower court's decision against her -- including a petition demanding that the court revisit and overturn its landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
The nation's highest court denied a writ of certiorari, which would have signaled its intention to review Davis' case -- and the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodgesdecision, which struck down state-level bans on same-sex marriage. It would have taken four justices to agree to hear Davis' challenge.
Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Hampton Medical Center in Virginia were reportedly warned in October that they could face discipline -- or even be fired -- for wearing or displaying rainbow-themed items, including official VA Pride lanyards.
The warning is the latest example of the Trump administration’s efforts to downplay or erase acknowledgment of LGBTQ identity under the guise of eliminating so-called "wokeness" and other references to identity-based characteristics deemed "divisive."
As reported by The Advocate, local leadership at the medical center sent out the directive citing an "executive order," though it was unclear whether that referred to Donald Trump’s directive banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in federal agencies, or his order declaring that the U.S. government recognizes only two biological sexes as valid.
Former Campbell County Public Library director Terri Lesley will receive $700,000 in a lawsuit settlement after being fired amid community backlash over LGBTQ-themed books and the library’s acknowledgment of Pride Month.
Lesley, who had worked for the library system in Gillette, Wyoming, since 1996 and served as director from 2012 to 2023, was dismissed following a 4–1 board of trustees vote that cited performance issues -- a move that came after two years of conservative pressure over LGBTQ content in the library’s teen section.
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