The Department of Health and Human Services edited the portrait nameplate of President Joe Biden’s former transgender assistant secretary for health to replace the chosen name with the birth name.
The nameplate accompanying Adm. Rachel Levine’s portrait at the Humphrey Building in Washington, D.C. — displayed alongside those of past holders of the position — was changed to read “Richard,” Levine’s birth name, according to NPR. (RELATED: Portland Jury Decides Stabbing White People Is Okay If They Use A Racial Slur)
An HHS spokesperson confirmed the change to NPR, stating: “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.”
While Levine declined to “comment on this type of petty action,” a spokesperson, Adrian Shanker, called the act one “of bigotry against her,” the outlet reported.
“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,” Shanker said.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 30: Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine (C) attends a reception to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year in the East Room of the White House on September 30, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“During her entire time as assistant secretary for health and admiral of the United States Public Health Service, Admiral Levine was a dedicated public health servant,” Shanker told The Advocate, a pro-LGBT outlet.
Shanker characterized the nameplate change as “small acts of pettiness and bigotry” that are “unfair to Admiral Levine” and reflect poorly on “the level of seriousness of the current political appointees at HHS.”
Levine transitioned in 2011 in his 40s after he “explored her feelings in therapy and began experimenting with her gender expression,” according to the National Women’s History Museum.
The current assistant secretary for health, Adm. Brian Christine, is a men’s health leader who seeks to restore trust in public health and bring “radical transparency,” his HHS biography says. Christine works directly under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Trump administration previously changed Biden’s portrait in the White House’s “Presidential Wall of Fame,” replacing his photograph with an image of his autopen signature.
Neither Shanker nor HHS responded to the Daily Caller’s requests for comment.