Obama Passes On Gay Cabinet Member

With the appointment of California Representative Hilda Solis (Democrat) to the position of Labor Secretary, the aspirations of gay rights leaders for a cabinet-level appointment have most likely evaporated.

Openly lesbian Mary Beth Maxwell had been considered a strong contender for the position. Maxwell is the founding executive director of American Rights at Work, and had helped line up support for the pro-union Employee Free Choice Act.

It was just last week that members of President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team met with dozens of gay and lesbian activists fueling speculation that a cabinet-level appointment might be in the offing.

But no openly gay, bisexual or transgender person has ever served in one of the fifteen cabinet secretary positions that report directly to the president.

In that meeting, Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, made it clear to the Obama transition team that he felt the political aspirations of the gay community had not yet been fully realized: “We have paid our political dues, but still have not benefited greatly from that.”

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