rachel levine. will support and defend -- >> reporter: a barrier broken with this swearing-in. >> -- the constitution of the united states. >> reporter: dr. rachel levine, assistant secretary of health, the first transgender person to be confirmed to a federal office. dr. rachel levine. historymaker, health official, butt-kicker. >> very pleased to be here. >> reporter: dr. levine joined me on my podcast "life out loud" which celebrates the lgbtq+ community, its history and influences. when is the first time you became aware of the lgbtq community? more specifically, transgender people? >> i'm a child of the '60s and '70s. so there was not as much visibility for the lgbtq community at that time. probably the first time that i really became aware of the community was in college. and then especially after medical school, one of the things that i was very aware of in the early '80s in manhattan was the hiv epidemic. that left a -- really a very significant impression upon me. >> reporter: that epidemic

rachel levine, the first transgender federal official confirmed by the senate. price, the first ever out state department spokesperson. and at the end of the hour, we'll meet reggie greer, the senior adviser of lgbtq issues in the white house. this is what it means to be seen and heard. biden appointees have influence over the direction. allies are invaluable. but the impact of policies on lgbtq lives is best understood within in the community. and those officials work more on what we consider traditional lgbtq issues. they're in health care, the epa and the small business administration. lgbtq people are at almost every table because we're impacted by every policy decision this white house makes. so, let's get started. in 2019, pete buttigieg was the first out gay candidate to run for presidential nomination. he eventually became the first lgbtq person to earn a deegate and win a state caucus or primary. now, he's the first out lgbtq person to be confirmed to a cabinet position. what a change from the 1950s, after president eisenhower purged homosexuals as nati

rachel levine. >> in the political world dr.levine became the first openly transgender official nominated by the senate. >> i think it demonstrates how important equality and fairness is and that anything is possible. >> she now serves as assistant health secretary for a democratic president when california caitlyn jenner hopes to become a republican governor. >> now i enter a different kind of race, arguably, my most important one yet, to save california. >> oscar-nominated actor elliott paige recently came out as transgender, opening up to oprah about the moments that have brought happiness. >> it's -- it's being able to touch my chest and, um -- feel comfortable in my body for probably the first time. >> paige recently appeared on the front of "time" magazine declaring, i'm fully who i am. seven years earlier, this actress also graced "time's" cover with the headline, the transgender tipping point, america's next civil rights frontier. today that battle is still playing out, a culture war fought in state legislatures across t

rachel levine.ause] so many talented people whose gifts would not be available to the american people not long ago. and it comes to policy, the biden harris ministration is working for that everyday -- biden-harris administration is working for that everyday. to this white house's strong and unequivocal support for the equality act, which must past, and we thank the congressional leaders here. [applause] so to everyone in this room and everyone out there around the country and even around the world, the youth who wonder where they -- whether they belong, and those who know what out and danger mean, you still can't live fully as your true self. know that a whole lot of us have your back, starting at the top, and yes, happy pride. [applause] so with that, speaking of our amazing youth, i have the privilege of introducing to you an extraordinary young man, someone whose strength and advocacy and courage can inspire us all. please welcome ashton. [applause] ashton: thank you so much secretary buttigieg

rachel levine, the first out transgender person confirmed by the united states' senate to her positionr adviser to the white house for lgbt engagement, reggie greer all talking about their journeys to coming out. and then here's this one special thing that's going to come up within the special. there are 50 -- 50 out lgbt members of the administration who show up on a zoom wall at the end. and really when you see it, just the fact that in 1953 president eisenhower signed an executive order purging gay men and lesbians from the federal government. and here you have tonight you are going to see with your own ice 56 out lgbt members on a president's administration on national television. it is true -- i don't know about you, but i think it is going to be truly special and historic. >> it is special, historic. the irony, the dichotomy of this happening and you have across the country still people trying to restrict the rights of the lgbt community and the fight that is still ahead for the lgbt community. >> uh-huh. >> in this country. >> yes. elected officials are trying to pull us back, t

rachel levine. >> dr.think demonstrates how important equality and fairness is and that anything is possible. >> reporter: on tv the ground breaking series set a new bar for transgender representation in entertainment. >> it's classic. it's classic >> reporter: oscar nominated actress elliott page recently came out as transgender sharing his story with oprah. >> being able to touch my chest and feel comfortable in my body for the -- probably the first time. >> such high profile stories are a reflection of the real world when towns big and small, teenagers like 16-year-old phoenix are sharing their stories. >> finally i'm kind of been able to express myself and finally kind of get some relief. >> a cocooning into a beautiful butterfly. >> but trans kids are also the focus of battles in state legislatures across the country. this year alone hundreds of bills targeting the transgender community have been introduced in 30 states that includes laws restricts transgender participation in sports passed in seven s

rachel levine, the out transgender person confirmed in the senate., spokesperson for the state department. and reggie greer. i hope everyone will tune in for "pride of the white house" at 10:00 p.m. but, ali, first thing this morning on "the sunday show." i'm talking to congresswoman karen bass about that long-sought deal on police reform. also here will be simone sanders, senior adviser and communications director to vice president kamala harris about her trip, about the vice president's trip to the southern border. so, as always, ali, a full morning and evening ahead for me. >> yeah, it's a long day for you but really looking forward to it. it airs tonight 10:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. what a thing, the names that jonathan was just talking about celebrating as lgbtq people, the first out transgender person in the administration. be sure to stick around for "the sunday show," the regular edition, 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> a former high school cheer leader is at the center of the latest debate in free speech. just this week the supreme court

anthony fauci and rachel levine, two trail blazers in their own rights.e as a black gay dad come into play when having these conversations? >> i mean, because we talk about such a wide variety of topics, it really does help to have a wide variety of experiences and you're right. i'm black. i'm gay. i'm a father. i have covered politics for 20 plus years, but i've also covered sports for that long. so to have that experience and navigate through these conversations and wide-ranging topics is helpful. >> you mentioned dr. fauci. you go back in history and talk about a pivotal moment. he was at the forefront of the hiv/aids crisis decades ago. that must have been important. >> it was especially as we're trying to come out of the coronavirus, the pandemic, understanding the relationships between the two in terms of our response, federally as well as the citizens of this country and what do we do forward to make sure that we don't go back but that we continue to suppress this virus and suppress the impact it's had, not just on our community, but the global com

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