Democrats have expressed outrage over a recent decision by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to update the portrait of Rachel Levine, a transgender-identifying former official who served as the assistant secretary of HHS in the Biden administration, to reflect his biological name rather than his chosen identity.
The change has resulted in the removal of Rachel Levine’s current legal name from her official portrait, which now reads “Richard Levine,” her birth name.
According to an HHS spokesperson, Andrew Nixon, the decision was made to follow “gold-standard science.” In a statement, Nixon said: “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.”
A spokesperson for Levine described the change as “petty” and bigoted, stating it occurred during the federal shutdown when “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.” The spokesperson further characterized the action as an act “of bigotry against her.”
Democratic Representative Becca Balint of Vermont condemned the move, remarking: “Trump officials are so insecure they even erased Admiral Rachel Levine’s name from her own HHS portrait. Instead of honoring a patriot who is serving this country, they’re busy stoking bigotry, while the rest of America pays the price.”
During her tenure at HHS, Levine was a prominent advocate for gender-affirming care, which she described in a 2023 statement as “medical care,” “mental health care,” and “literally suicide prevention care.”
