Rachel Levine Is Not the ‘First Female Four-Star Admiral’ ... Because He’s a Male

In an apparent attempt to compensate for being everything the radical left hates (an old white heterosexual male), Joe Biden has been a sucker for symbolic appointments and nominations. Before we knew who he’d pick as his running mate, we knew it would be a minority female. Since taking office, when various positions have been filled there has been an abundance of “the first _____ to serve as _____” in the accompanying press releases, fulfilling his pledge for a diverse administration for the sake of diversity.

The Biden administration has taken this pledge to the extreme at times, such as his nominating of Rachel Levine to be assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services. Levine, who previously served as secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, was undoubtedly chosen solely because he is a man who thinks he’s a woman.

Why? Because transgender issues are all the rage right now to the radical left. Even if you forget the absurdity of choosing a man who thinks he’s a woman to serve as a top health official in the federal government, Levine’s tenure at the Pennsylvania Department of Health was controversial and likely would have disqualified a “cis-gendered” individual from being considered.

Last year, Levine faced calls for his resignation over “the horrific results of the [health] department’s COVID-19 policy” on nursing homes and long-term care facilities. He also removed his mother from such a facility while others were not able to do so.

But, at least Biden got points for finding a transgender official to serve in his administration.

It’s debatable whether Biden even knows what “transgender” means, and apparently no one in his administration does either. On Monday, the Biden administration announced that Levine was named the “first-ever female four-star admiral” of the U.S. Public Health Services (USPHS) Commissioned Corps.

Levine is a lot of things, but a female he is not.

Even if you believe that gender is a social construct and subject to how one feels and not dependent on biology, sex chromosomes determine whether an individual is male or female. Rachel Levine is 100 percent male, right down to his DNA. He is not a female. He may have grown his hair out and changed his name to a woman’s name, but that doesn’t make him a female.

For some time now, a man who identifies as a woman has been dubbed a “transgender woman,” yet the HHS press release avoids using that designation and refers to Levine as “first openly transgender four-star officer” and “first-ever female four-star admiral.” They could have called him the “first openly transgender four-star admiral,” but apparently that wasn’t enough. They had to call him “first-ever female four-star admiral,” effectively robbing an actual woman from ever holding that distinction. And that’s the real tragedy here. So why is the Biden administration intent on erasing women?

Despite the insult to actual women, the Biden administration is patting itself on the back for the historic nature of the appointment. “Admiral Levine’s historic appointment as the first openly transgender four-star officer is a giant step forward towards equality as a nation,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “This is a proud moment for us at HHS. Admiral Levine — a highly accomplished pediatrician who helps drive our agency’s agenda to boost health access and equity and to strengthen behavioral health — is a cherished and critical partner in our work to build a healthier America.”

I’m sure there will be a female four-star admiral someday. But Rachel Levine isn’t it.