President Joe Biden has marked Transgender Day of Visibility by denouncing what he's calling “hateful bills” being passed at the state level.

Jessica Stern will soon become the State Department's special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights.

Pride Month celebrations in the U.S. are taking place under unusual circumstances this year.

The U.S. government is easing requirements that made it difficult for doctors to treat opioid addiction using medication.

Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on March 24, confirmed Levine to be assistant secretary of health. She becomes the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. (Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP, File)Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate has confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation’s assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. She won confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate.

Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on March 24, confirmed Levine to be assistant secretary of health. She becomes the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. (Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP, File)Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation’s assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. She won confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate.

In this Jan. 15, 2021 file photo, President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions nationwide. A transition spokesperson also said Tuesday that Dawn O’Connell will serve as senior counselor for coronavirus response to the health and human services secretary. O'Connell most recently served as director of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and was the senior counselor and deputy chief of staff to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell during the Obama administration.

Dr. Deborah Birx says people also have to observe social distancing and wash their hands to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The number is second only to the 238 deaths reported Wednesday. Gary Herbert says Utah plans to prioritize front-line health care workers after it receives its first round of coronavirus vaccine doses. The number of new daily coronavirus cases reached 23,225 on Thursday, falling after three tiers of regional restrictions put in a month ago. ___WASHINGTON — Three former presidents say they’d publicly take a coronavirus vaccine, once one becomes available, to encourage all Americans to get inoculated.

Many of the attacks against Pennsylvanias health secretary have little to do with the way she has handled the statewide response to the coronavirus pandemic. As a transgender woman, Dr. Rachel Levine has been subjected to a stream of mockery and abuse on social media and elsewhere. The dunk tank was part of a weekend carnival held on the fairgrounds to benefit the region's volunteer fire departments. The fair deleted the post from its Facebook page, but critics slammed the dunk tank impersonation and the fair associations comment as transphobic. A fellow dressed up in a dress to get people to throw balls at the dunk tank to raise money.