Abandoned Commerce Secretary Position Draws Attention of LGBT Groups

by Michael Jones · 2009-01-06 09:13:00 UTC
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Commerce SecretaryBill Richardson's decision to back out of Obama's Cabinet has created a gap in the President-Elect's administration that LGBT groups are watching closely.  Within moments of hearing the news that Richardson would not seek to become the next U.S. Commerce Secretary (due to some potentially aggravating dealings with a political contributor in New Mexico), groups like EqualRep.com and the Human Rights Campaign were imploring President-Elect Obama to appoint someone who is not only qualified, but openly gay or lesbian.

“With the vacancy of Governor Bill Richardson as the nominee for secretary of commerce, President-elect Obama is presented with yet another opportunity to make good on his promise of equality for all LGBT people,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

EqualRep.com has taken it a step further, and is calling on Obama to replace Richardson with a specific candidate - Fred Hochberg.  Who's that, you might ask?  Hochberg, from 1998 through 2000, served as deputy and then acting administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), an agency elevated to cabinet rank by President Bill Clinton, with more than 4,000 employees and 100 offices across the country. At the SBA, he directed the delivery of a comprehensive set of financial and business development programs for entrepreneurs, with particular outreach to women and minorities.  He's currently a dean at The New School for Management and Urban Policy in New York, and a member of Obama's transition team.

He certainly seems well qualified.  EqualRep.com has started an organized campaign to push for Hochberg, and is encouraging advocates to contact Obama's transition team to weigh in with their thoughts.  Latina/o groups are also pushing for diversity in Obama's cabinet, noting that Richardson's departure means that there is one less Latino member of the President-Elect's leadership team.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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