Mr. Sanchez goes to Washington

Transgender activist Diego Sanchez has been appointed to the position of legislative assistant to Congressman Barney Frank in Washington, D.C. The top priority among his responsibilities will be to serve as the congressman's point person on LGBT rights, but he will also advise Frank on a range of issues relating to healthcare, veterans, labor and the U.S. Census. Sanchez will be the first openly transgender person to work in a congressional office in Washington.

Sanchez, the director of public relations and external affairs for the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, will be starting work in Frank's office Jan. 6, the first day of the new legislative session.

"My decision though to join the legislative staff of Congressman Frank was compelling, and it is certainly a most exciting time to be focused on the matters of our country and doing that in the nation's capital," Sanchez said.

"It's historic," said Gunner Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), of Sanchez's appointment. "I don't know of any other openly transgender person working as a staffer for a federal legislator ... so that's pretty amazing. It's a huge thing for our community, I think, particularly because we have so few people in any kind of key leadership positions or political positions, that this is really helping to move us forward."

Given his years of LGBT activism, Frank believes Sanchez is the best choice for the position.

"When Branch Rickey hired Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first black player, he wanted to make sure he had somebody who would be absolutely immune to any criticism that there was," said Frank. "That's why Diego is such a good fit."

Marc Solomon, executive director of MassEquality, agrees that the appointment could not have come at a better time.

"I think it's a great choice," said Solomon. "Diego has been a tireless advocate for transgender equality in Massachusetts as well as a great team player and a personal friend. I really think Barney could not have made a better choice to help him achieve victories on the LGBT community's key priorities in these exciting times."

Sanchez said two of the top items on Frank's agenda for LGBT issues are the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and hate crimes legislation. He said one of his responsibilities will be meeting with staff members from other congressional offices to seek their support for legislation, and as an openly trans staffer he will put a human face on trans equality issues and help build support for passing trans-inclusive versions of ENDA and hate crimes legislation.

"I believe that the opportunity for impact is one-on-one, and Barney has consistently said that the most important part of getting an inclusive ENDA passed is getting people to meet with their representatives," said Sanchez. "I think what this does is give us an extra opportunity. ... What I envision in my head is I will find it most interesting to sit with someone and have them tell me why they think I'm less than human and why they think my community should be treated as less than equal."

Some LGBT activists have criticized Frank for his work on ENDA in 2007. That September, working with House leadership, he removed the gender identity language from ENDA after a whip count determined that there were not enough votes to guarantee its passage. Frank said passing a version of ENDA with sexual orientation protections in the short term would help lay the groundwork for passing a fully inclusive bill in the future.

Within hours of news of Sanchez's new position some LGBT bloggers questioned whether Sanchez's appointment was intended to stave off criticism from the trans community. On her blog TransAdvocate.com, Marti Abernathey quoted Vanessa Foster Edwards, co-founder of the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, expressing her concern that Sanchez would be used "as a shield to deflect future trans criticism for what legislation he's likely to push forth." On Bilerico.com trans blogger Rebecca Juro wrote that Edwards' concerns were "certainly justified."

Yet Sanchez said he was confident of Frank's commitment to a fully inclusive bill.

"I think that leadership has its obligations as well as its privileges, and Congressman Frank's leadership means that he has to ensure that the appropriate numbers, the necessary number of votes are present," said Sanchez. "He clearly has appointed someone in the trans community who is going to be part of his initiative to push forward a fully inclusive ENDA with gender identity and sexual orientation."

Frank said he believes Sanchez will be an effective advocate for a fully inclusive bill.

"I hope what it underlines is this, what we have to deal with on transgender [issues] is the prejudice," said Frank of the significance of Sanchez's hiring. He noted that with 21 more Democrats elected to Congress comes the hope that more of them might be willing to support transgender rights. "I know people are disappointed we couldn't get a bill passed with it last year, but they couldn't get a bill passed in Massachusetts to include people who are transgender, and frankly if you can't get something done in Massachusetts it's a lot harder when you add in Mississippi and Utah, but Diego will be very well positioned to help us deal with them."

Scott said he hoped the trans community would support Sanchez in his move to D.C.

"I'm excited for him to be moving to that position and being that voice for us, particularly when the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is going to come back around and hate crimes, so I hope that the community sees this as a big win for us," said Scott. "The other piece being that he has worked very hard to get where he is and he's also a trans man of color, which sometimes can be like double jeopardy, so it's really amazing that this is happening."

"He's been just a champion and a leader," added Solomon. "I think it's great all around."

Frank said Sanchez was a stellar candidate to fill the shoes of his outgoing senior policy advisor, Joe Racalto, whose portfolio he will be overseeing.

"I had a vacancy for someone who would work on LGBT issues and healthcare, so totally aside from the transgender issues Diego would be one of the best people I could find," said Frank. "And the fact that he's transgender, that's how you defeat the prejudice. You defeat the prejudice with reality."

Sanchez stated that while he's thrilled to be taking the position, the decision to work for Congressman Frank was fairly recent.

"Last week he called me," he laughed. "We locked it down yesterday afternoon," said Sanchez on Dec. 17.

Sanchez goes to Washington with an impressive resume. In addition to his current work at AIDS Action he served as director of JRI Health's TransHealth and GLBT Health Access Programs. He was named among the Top 100 Most Powerful Latinos in Corporate America by Hispanic Business magazine and one of the 100 most powerful Latinos in Massachusetts by El Planeta newspaper. He is the first transgender person appointed to a Democratic National Committee standing committee, named to the DNC Platform Committee by Chair Gov. Howard Dean and appointed a Party Leader and At-Large Delegate to the 2008 convention in Denver.

Beyond his work on LGBT issues Sanchez said he is particularly grateful for the chance to continue to work on healthcare issues. He praised the work of AIDS Action Committee Executive Director Rebecca Haag, and he said as a member of Frank's staff he will continue to advocate for one of Haag's top priorities, the creation of a national strategy by the federal government to end the domestic AIDS epidemic.

"With me working on healthcare I'll get to continue my investment in national AIDS strategy, which is fabulous," said Sanchez.
Although he will be making history in D.C., Sanchez will certainly be missed here in Massachusetts.

"Whoever goes to AIDS Action has big shoes to fill," said Scott.

Additional reporting by Ethan Jacobs.