Gina Ortiz Jones was confirmed as undersecretary of the Air Force, becoming the first out lesbian to be an undersecretary of any branch of the military.
Shawn Skelly was confirmed as assistant secretary of defense for readiness, making her the highest-ranking out transgender person in Defense Department history and only the second trans person ever confirmed by the Senate (Dr.
Rachel Levine, assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, was the first).Jones and Skelly are among more than 200 LGBTQ+ political appointees put forth by President Joe Biden.
Both sailed through their confirmation hearings last month without controversy.Jones was an intelligence officer in the Air Force and was deployed to Iraq during the war.