The US assistant secretary for health has been sworn in as the first transgender four-star officer in the country's history.
Rachel Levine, 63, is now an admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, per AP News.
Levine, who has been appointed by President Joe Biden, is already the highest-ranking openly transgender official in the US.
Per NBC News, she described the occasion as "momentous" and "historic" during a swearing-in speech on Tuesday, October 19.
"I stand before you in this uniform ready to be a beacon in these dark days of Covid-19, working to serve you and this great nation," she said in a speech that paid tribute to other LGBTQ individuals who came before her.
She continued: "I am honored to serve as the first female four-star officer of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corp and the first openly transgender four-star officer to serve across any of the eight uniformed services."
The Corps, which was established in 1889, is one of the nation’s uniformed services, alongside the six military services and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, which pilots research vessels.
"This is a momentous occasion, and it's an honor to take this role for the impact I can make, and the historic nature of what it symbolizes," she added, per BBC News.
"I stand on the shoulders of those LGBTQ+ individuals who came before me, both those known and unknown. Diversity makes us stronger," Levine said.
Levine said she was proud to follow in the footsteps of her father, who served in the Air Force during World War II, and other members of her family who are veterans.
"Just as they stepped up to defend our rights to freedom and liberty, I now follow in their storied tradition of service as I step up to defend the health of our nation," she added.
Health officials and diversity advocates celebrated the appointment.
"Admiral Levine's historic appointment as the first openly transgender four-star officer is a giant step forward toward equality as a nation," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
"Congratulations Dr. Rachel Levine on making history once again," GLAAD wrote on Twitter.
Some conservatives had trouble digesting the news, with Tom Fitton, president of the conservative legal group judicial watch, calling the appointment "playing quota politics with public health service".
Levine is the former Pennsylvania health secretary, and was a top doctor at Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where her work included facilitating groups with LGBT+ patients. She transitioned in 2011.
Back in December, President Biden promised his administration would be the most diverse in US history.
"I promise you, you’ll see the most diverse Cabinet representative of all folks – Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos, LGBTQ – across the board," he said at the time.
