Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJanuary 4th, 2010
President Barack Obama has named Amanda Simpson as a Senior Technical Advisor to the Commerce Department, where she will be working in the Bureau of Industry and Security:
“I’m truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me. And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others.”
Simpson brings considerable professional credentials to her new job. For thirty years, she has worked in the aerospace and defense industry, most recently serving as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona. She holds degrees in physics, engineering and business administration along with an extensive flight background. She is a certified flight instructor and test pilot with 20 years of experience.
As a fellow Tucsonan, I have had the rare privilege of knowing Amanda. She is not only a truly amazing, dynamic woman, but she\’s a genuine trailblazer as well. She\’s as been a local activist and former member of the City of Tucson Commission on GLBT Issues, and in 2004 she became the first transgender person to win the Democratic Nomination for the Arizona House of Representatives. She was recognized that same year as one of the YWCA’s “Women On the Move.”
Several of us gathered for a Christmas party on the Friday before Christmas. It was a bittersweet party since it was also our good-bye party for Amanda. We will all miss her here in Tucson, but we are also immensely proud and excited for her new opportunities in D.C. I can’t think of a more qualified person to advise the Commerce Department on the technical issues surrounding technology exports. Break a leg, Amanda!
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Ray
January 4th, 2010
This is a tremendous leap forward and I’m so happy for Amanda Simpson. Congratulations!
Gabriel Arana
January 4th, 2010
That’s wonderful, welcome to D.C. Amanda!
brother doc
January 4th, 2010
Well it’s great she’s a big GLBT supporter but it sure sounds like another example of the revolving door between working in government and the military-industrial complex.
celtic dragon chick
January 4th, 2010
That is absolutely fantastic news, and it goes some small way to repairing the damage that the administration has wrought with the GLBT community in my estimation. Asd a transgendered woman, I am thrilled to see a sister of mine receive this recognition for her hard work and talent.
Priya Lynn
January 5th, 2010
“She was recognized that same year as one of the YWCA’s “Women On the Move.—
*jaw drops* – did I read that right?!
Chris McCoy
January 5th, 2010
Priya Lynn said:
Found the following list of “Women on the Move” on YWCA Tucson’s website.
Priya Lynn
January 5th, 2010
Yes, I see it there Chris, I’m just stunned that the YWCA would give such an accolade to a transgendered woman – they must not be under the thumb of the Catholic church.
wackadoodle
January 5th, 2010
“Yes, I see it there Chris, I’m just stunned that the YWCA would give such an accolade to a transgendered woman – they must not be under the thumb of the Catholic church.”
After a certain song got popular they probably realized no one would ever believe they were anti-LGBT anyway and just rolled with it.
Richard W. Fitch
January 5th, 2010
From my understanding, the YMCA/YWCA are funded primarily by United Fund and mainline Protestant churches. The RC have their own CYO groups which supply similar functions.
Ruth Uppena
January 6th, 2010
Show them what you know and set things aright in the Commerce Dept. End factory farms and get that slime out of fast food! Make sure we export as much as we import! We welcome you with open arms!
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