A portrait of a former official from the Department of Health and Human Services, who identifies as transgender, has been altered to display his birth name instead of his chosen name.
Rachel Levine made history as the first openly transgender individual to hold a position in the U.S. Senate, serving as the assistant secretary of health in the Biden administration.
“We remain committed to reversing the harmful policies enacted by Mr. Levine and ensuring that biological realities guide our approach to public health.”
The portrait now shows the name “Richard Levine.”
According to HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon, the change aligns with what they described as the “gold standard of science.”
Nixon stated, “Our priority is to ensure that the information HHS presents internally and externally reflects gold standard science.” He reiterated their commitment to overturning what they see as problematic policies initiated under Levine’s leadership.
In response, a spokesperson for Levine criticized the move as “frivolous” and indicative of bias. Adrian Shanker mentioned that the name change occurred during a federal shutdown and called it an act of “prejudice against her.”
Some Democratic lawmakers also voiced their disapproval. Democratic Congresswoman Becca Balint from Vermont remarked, “Trump officials are so concerned that they even removed Admiral Rachel Levine’s name from her own HHS portrait. Instead of honoring the patriots who serve this country, they are busy stirring up bigotry, and the rest of America is paying the price.”
Related: Twitter suspended Tucker Carlson for a seven-word tweet criticizing Rachel Levine.
Levine was a key proponent of gender transition-related medical treatments while at HHS. He once stated in 2023, “Gender-affirming care is medicine. Gender-affirming care is mental health care. Gender-affirming care is literally suicide prevention care.”
