Obama Names First Transgender Person to Federal Post; Turns Out She's an, Um, Woman From Tucson

Obama appointee Amanda Simpson

​In an administration filled with firsts, President Obama's latest addition to his posse might be enough to have an uber-conservative radio host like Rush Limbaugh have an actual heart attack.

The president announced today that Amanda Simpson -- former deputy director in Advanced Technology Development at Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems -- would serve in his administration as a senior technical adviser to the Commerce Department.

Simpson, however, didn't always wear pant-suits and have such a feminine first name. The New York Post reports that Simpson used to be called Mitchell and was born with, um, parts not traditionally associated with her current appearance. In other words, Simpson was born a dude.


"As one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others," Simpson says in a statement.

Simpson, who ran unsuccessfully for the Arizona House of Representatives in 2006, is believed to be one of the first transgender presidential appointees, but Democratic officials tell ABC News "they're unsure if she is the very first one."

And that level of uncertainty is probably just enough to send anyone who has ever slept with a presidential appointee into their own personal Crying Game.

Simpson's, um, transformation came as she was working as a test pilot for Raytheon. She has since become a member of the National Center for Transgender Equality's board of directors and served as a delegate for Hillary Clinton at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.