RACHEL LEVINE

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. A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov. 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.

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.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania's first probable human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection in 2019 has been detected in a Philadelphia resident, according to the state Departments of Health and Environmental Protection. "With the first human case of West Nile Virus detected, we want people to protect themselves. "DEP monitors mosquito populations across Pennsylvania for the presence of disease." Simple steps to eliminate standing water around the home include:Remove tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, discarded tires or any object that could collect standing water. Treat standing water that cannot be eliminated with Bti products which are sold at outdoor supply, home improvement and other stores.