I slept better last night knowing that the U.S. nuclear codes were in the hands of someone not likely to make ego-driven decisions. I woke up refreshed thinking about the first vice president who is a woman, Black, and of South Asian descent. And I was delighted for LGBTQ families, who have a number of reasons to celebrate today.
Dear President-elect Biden:
I’m writing you this open letter as you prepare to take office as president. My son was just a few months too young to vote in the last election, but watched it with great concern, for its results would directly impact him and his family. Would the next administration be one that treated our family with equality? Would it view families like ours as part of the rich fabric of American diversity or as aberrations?
President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, who has led the state’s COVID-19 response, as assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services. Levine, a transgender woman, is also the parent of two grown children. Her nomination comes days after President Trump’s HHS finalized a rule that would allow schools to misgender and discriminate against transgender students. Do you sense change?
Two—yes, two—lesbian moms of color have been named to Joe Biden’s all-women White House communications team.
This morning, I woke up feeling something that I haven’t felt for four years: hope that my son would come to adulthood in a country that he could be proud of.
We have our ticket: California Senator Kamala Harris will be Joe Biden’s running mate, bringing her intelligence and drive to bear in what may be the most important election of our lifetimes. Their win is far from certain, however—which is why each of us needs to do what we can to help.
