""During the federal shutdown, the current leadership of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health changed Admiral Levine's photo to remove her current legal name and use a prior name," Levine's spokesperson Adrian Shanker, former deputy assistant secretary for health policy under Biden, told NPR."
"Shanker called the move an "unprecedented" act "of bigotry against her.""
"Levine said, "I'm not going to comment on this type of petty action.""
""Our priority is ensuring that the information presented internally and externally by HHS reflects gold standard science. We remain committed to reversing harmful policies enacted by Levine and ensuring that biological reality guides our approach to public health.""
Health and Human Services leadership replaced Admiral Rachel Levine's current legal name on her official portrait with a prior name, effectively deadnaming her. The change occurred during the federal shutdown and placed the altered portrait among other past leaders of the U.S. Public Health Service. Levine's spokesperson called the action unprecedented and an act of bigotry; Levine described the action as petty. An HHS spokesperson justified the change by citing commitment to "biological reality" and reversing policies enacted by Levine. An anonymous HHS staffer described the alteration as disrespectful and an example of transgender erasure. Levine was the first openly transgender Senate-confirmed official and first out trans four-star.
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