What do you call it when a federal agency deliberately changes the nameplate on a distinguished public servant's official portrait to deadname them? According to the Department of Health and Human Services, it's "ensuring biological reality guides our approach to public health." But this calculated act of cruelty against Admiral Rachel Levine - the first transgender person confirmed by the Senate for federal service - reveals something far more sinister about the systematic erasure of LGBTQ+ Americans from our government. Source: NPR

Why It Matters

This incident occurs within a broader pattern of anti-transgender policies implemented across federal agencies since Trump took office in January 2025:

  • Military: Transgender servicemembers were forced out without benefits
  • State Department: Decades-old passport policies allowing gender marker changes were reversed
  • Multiple agencies: Coordinated efforts to curtail transgender and intersex rights

During the 2024 campaign, Republicans spent millions on anti-transgender ads, some featuring Levine's image specifically. The current assistant secretary for health is Admiral Brian Christine, a urologist from Alabama, confirmed in October 2024.

Historical significance: Levine's confirmation in 2021 broke barriers as the first openly transgender person to serve in a Senate-confirmed federal position. Her public health work included leading responses to COVID-19, syphilis, HIV/AIDS, and the opioid crisis during a critical period in American public health.

What Happened

The Department of Health and Human Services has altered the official portrait of Admiral Rachel Levine, President Biden's former assistant secretary for health, by digitally adding her previous name below her current legal name on the nameplate. The change was made during the federal shutdown by the current Trump administration's leadership. Levine served for four years as a four-star admiral leading the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and was the first transgender person to win Senate confirmation for a federal position. HHS justified the change by claiming it reflects "gold standard science" and "biological reality," while Levine's spokesperson called it an "act of bigotry." An unnamed HHS staffer described the move as "disrespectful" and exemplifying "the erasure of transgender individuals by this administration."

A Closer Look

This seemingly small act reveals the pettiness and calculated cruelty at the heart of authoritarian governance. Key questions emerge:

  • Why target a portrait? Because symbols matter - erasing Levine's identity from the historical record sends a message to all LGBTQ+ federal employees
  • What is "gold standard science"? HHS offers no scientific justification for deadnaming, because none exists - this is ideological persecution disguised as policy
  • Who made this decision? The agency won't say, demonstrating the cowardice behind bureaucratic bigotry

The unnamed HHS staffer's fear of professional retribution speaks volumes about the climate of intimidation being fostered. Meanwhile, Levine's dignified response - refusing to comment on "this type of petty action" - highlights the stark contrast between professional public service and vindictive politics.

This erasure isn't just about one person - it's a warning shot to every LGBTQ+ American that their identities, achievements, and very existence can be bureaucratically disappeared.

Call to Action

Don't let them disappear the inconvenient truths. Every act of bureaucratic bigotry depends on our silence and acceptance. Document these erasures, name them for what they are, and refuse to normalize cruelty disguised as policy.

Contact your representatives - demand transparency about who is making these decisions and why. Support LGBTQ+ federal employees who are facing unprecedented targeting. Remember that Admiral Rachel Levine served with distinction during critical public health crises, and no amount of petty retaliation can erase that legacy.

Most importantly: Keep speaking up. Authoritarianism advances through a thousand small cruelties that we're told don't matter. They do matter. Your voice matters. Use it.

From Silence to Sound

This story embodies everything Silence to Sound stands against: the deliberate silencing of marginalized voices and the rewriting of history to erase inconvenient truths. When government agencies engage in petty acts of cruelty against distinguished public servants, they're not just targeting individuals - they're attacking the principle that all Americans deserve dignity and recognition.

The unnamed HHS staffer who spoke out despite fear of retaliation exemplifies the courage we need more of - people willing to call out injustice even when it puts them at risk. Meanwhile, the agency's refusal to identify who made this decision shows how authoritarianism thrives in shadows, using bureaucracy to mask bigotry.

Speaking truth to power means refusing to let these "small" acts of erasure go unchallenged - because they're never tiny, and they're never really the last.