President Trump appoints Bethany Kozma for USAID, Gender Equality division, attacked as ‘violently anti-transgender’
President Trump appointed Bethany Kozma to the office of Gender Equality, attacked quickly by critics for her opposition to former President Obama’s transgender bathroom agenda.
Kozma will serve as Senior Adviser in the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment division under the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The USAID website explains, “USAID advances sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights across the globe.” It lists “Family Planning,” “Reproductive Health,” and “Post-Abortion Care” as three of its U.S. tax-funded programs worldwide.
Kozma served in the White House and in Homeland Security under President George W. Bush. Angering feminist pressure groups, she then left her career to devote herself full time to raising her children as a “stay-at-home mom.”
photo courtesy of LC.org
“Because I’m passionate about our country, I dedicated years of my life to government service,” Kozma explained. “Later, that same passion led me to focus on raising my three young children to become the finest citizens they can be, becoming a stay-at-home mom.”
“I have jumped back into the world of politics and policy far earlier than I expected to because President Barack Obama’s school bathroom mandate is endangering the safety, security, and privacy of my children and yours,” she said. “I cannot remain silent.”
GLAAD wasted no time in leading the attacks against the decision, describing her as a “violently anti-transgender activist.”
“Kozma has a history of peddling false and defamatory myths about transgender people. Her anti-LGBTQ activist work includes published work at the Daily Signal, a publication managed by the Heritage Foundation, and partnerships with anti-LGBTQ hate groups such as the Family Research Council. Kozma was one of the most visible leaders in a campaign to bar transgender students access to bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity at school.”
“When you google the name Bethany Kozma the first hit is a screed against transgender youth, but that’s not surprising since President Trump has been recruiting from a pool of the most vehemently anti-LGBTQ activists to run our great nation,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “At a time when transgender women are facing rising levels of violence and income inequality, appointing someone to this post who has dedicated their life to harming transgender youth is a slap in the face to LGBTQ Americans and a huge leap in the wrong direction which could place some of the most marginalized Americans directly in harm’s way.”
USAID promotes programs around the world supporting LGBT political and economic “empowerment.” They ban working with any group that does not embrace a pro-transgender agenda.
