Ex-Somerville City Official Becomes First Openly Transgender White House Staffer

Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, a former city worker in Somerville, MA, made history Tuesday by becoming the first openly transgender woman to serve on the White House staff.

President Barack Obama appointed her as an Outreach and Recruitment Director for Presidential Personnel.

Freedman-Gurspan has experience in personnel, specifically with the transgender community, having served as Somerville’s LGBT coordinator from January 2010 to May 2011. She also spent three years serving as legislative director to former Massachusetts State Rep. Carl Sciortino Jr.

“Raffi is a role model. As the first out transgender woman working at the Massachusetts State House, she showed leadership and courage, and among her many contributions, was instrumental in helping pass the Transgender Equal Rights Law. I am proud to see her continue to lead by example, as she takes her voice and her passion to the White House,” Sciortino said in a statement issued by the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Freedman-Gurspan previously served as NCTE’s Policy Advisor for the Racial and Economic Justice Initiative.