Assistant Secretary of Health Richard Levine, a man who identifies as a woman and goes by the name of Rachel, has been sworn in as the first “transgender” four-star admiral in America, as reported by the New York Post.
On Tuesday, the 63-year-old Levine was named as an admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, which is not one of the armed forces of the United States military. Following the swearing-in ceremony, Levine tweeted that he was “deeply honored and grateful to join the ranks of men and women across this great nation who have committed to defend the United States against small and large threats, known and unknown.”
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra declared Levine’s promotion to be a “historic appointment” and “a giant step forward towards equality as a nation.” Becerra described Levine as “a highly accomplished pediatrician who helps drive our agency’s agenda to boost health access and equity and to strengthen behavioral health.”
Levine had been nominated by Joe Biden to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Health back in February; upon his confirmation in March, he became the first “transgender” person to be confirmed to a Cabinet position by the U.S. Senate.
Prior to his role at HHS, Levine had served as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health, where he oversaw a disastrous order to force COVID-positive patients into nursing homes, exposing thousands of vulnerable senior citizens to the virus. Levine himself came under fire when it was discovered that, upon the implementation of the order, he made sure to have his own mother moved out of such a nursing home and into a private facility. During his tenure, Levine also violated lockdown orders by secretly negotiating for a major exclusive car show to take place in Pennsylvania back in August, despite orders at the time banning such large gatherings.
Levine suffers from transgenderism, a mental disorder which leads people to believe that they are the opposite gender from the one they were born.