Breaking News: Raffi Freedman-Gurspan makes history – this time at the White House!

Photo courtesy Raffi Freedman-Gurspan

Raffi Freedman-Gurspan of our Boston University WGS community just made history as the first openly transgender official at the White House! Raffi took up her new senior post as Outreach and Recruitment Director in the Presidential Personnel Office on August 18th, following a stint in trans advocacy as Policy Advisor for the DC-based National Center for Transgender Equality’s Racial & Economic Justice Initiative. 

Raffi worked early in her career until mid-2011as Course and Research Assistant with Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney at BU/WGS (Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program) in the arena of Gender and International Development. Their collaborative effort on Irish Women Today: Perspectives from Galway to Dublin on Gender (In)Equality was published last December by the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender.

Raffi's primary interests over the years have included public policy making, minority and indigenous peoples' rights, and gender equality matters. We are thrilled that the work of the White House will now benefit from Raffi's talent and activism promoting gender equality and justice.

"Brava" Raffi, from WGS and the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network!