First Transgendered Presidential Appointee

Right Wing heads are exploding.

President Obama has appointed a transgendered individual to be Senior Technical Advisor to the Commerce Department. There is some debate as to whether this really is the first such appointment, but it is the first one that is being publicly acknowledged. From the Huffington Post:

President Obama has appointed Amanda Simpson, a transgender woman, to be the Senior Technical Adviser to the Commerce Department.

"I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me," Simpson said in a statement...

Simpson -- a former test pilot and 2004 YWCA "Woman On The Move" -- has been active in the aerospace and defense industry for the past 30 years. She most recently served as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development for Raytheon, where she transitioned from male to female.

Truth is it shouldn't matter. Qualifications should be all that matters. But we are still at a point in social evolution where these landmarks really DO matter. And it is one more small landmark that we have achieved.