White House appoints transgender woman to Obama's faith advisory council

Pres. Barack Obama has recently appointed a transgender woman to join the Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships.

Participants hold giant rainbow flags during the Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade in Taipei October 25, 2014. | Reuters/Pichi Chuang

Barbara Satin is a member of the United Church of Christ, where she served as an Executive Council. Satin, who was appointed together with 10 others, is the first transgender to have been appointed in the president's advisory council.

"These fine public servants bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their important roles. I look forward to working with them," the president said.

Satin is known to be involved in local and international concerns regarding the LGBTQ community. Satin, who presently sits as Assistant Faith Work Director for the National LGBTQ Task force, works to ensure that trans persons are not excluded in churches and ministry.

In 2003, Satin was instrumental in the United Church of Christ's move to include transgender people in ministry positions.

The Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships is expected to help the administration create policy recommendations concerning various faith-based groups. Most of its members are Christians.

"Given the current political climate, I believe it's important that a voice of faith representing the transgender and gender non-conforming community — as well as a person of my years, nearly 82 — be present and heard in these vital conversations," Satin said.

Satin's appointment comes at the heels of President Obama's directive that public schools allow transgender students to use bathrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms according to their gender identity and not according to their biological sex. The directive has elicited both negative and positive reactions. Many are opposed to the directive, saying their children could be exposed to potential predators.

The debate on the transgender bathroom use intensified with the passing of North Carolina's House Bill 2, which requires transgenders to use bathrooms based on the gender specified on their birth certificates and not the gender they identify with.