HHS changes Rachel Levine portrait plaque to show birth name instead

The Department of Health and Human Services has changed the official portrait of a transgender former Biden administration official to display the individual’s birth name, rather than their adopted name.

The former official, currently named Rachel Levine, rose to the rank of admiral and served in President Joe Biden’s administration as deputy secretary of health. Levine was born a man and was the first transgender person to win Senate confirmation.

Until the government shutdown this year, Levine’s portrait plaque in the HHS offices bore the name “Rachel Levine,” but it now displays the official’s birth name, “Richard Levine.”

“Our priority is to ensure that information presented internally and externally by HHS reflects gold standard science. We remain committed to reversing the harmful policies adopted by Levine and ensuring that biological reality guides our approach to public health,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement.

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Former HHS official Rachel Levine speaks on stage during the “Taking the Youth Mental-Health Crisis” panel for the Festival of the Atlantic, September 19, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Countess Jemal/Getty Images for The Atlantic)

Levine responded to the decision both personally and through a spokesperson in statements to NPR.

“During the federal shutdown, current leadership in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health altered Admiral Levine’s photo to remove his current legal name and use a former name,” Adrian Shanker, Levine’s spokesperson, told NPR, later describing the move as an act of “intolerance against him.”

Levine was the first transgender person to receive Senate confirmation. (Tom Brenner/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

“I’m not going to comment on this type of petty action,” Levine told the outlet.

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Levine was a constant source of controversy during the Biden administration, saying there was “no argument” regarding the effectiveness and safety of transgender medical procedures, and asserting that hormone blockers should be used to prevent children from “going through bad puberty.”

President Donald Trump’s administration rolled back many of the pro-transgender programs implemented under former President Joe Biden. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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“Gender-affirming care is medical care,” Levine said in 2023. “Gender-affirming care is mental health care. Gender-affirming care is literally suicide prevention care.”