Freedman-Gurspan, Raffi, 1987-

Raffi Freedman-Gurspan (born May 3, 1987 in Intibucá, Honduras) is an American transgender rights activist and the first openly transgender person to work as a White House staffer. She was also the first openly transgender legislative staffer to work in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She served as director of external relations at the National Center for Transgender Equality, based in Washington, DC. She is a longtime advocate and public policy specialist on matters concerning human rights, gender, and LGBT people.

<p> Raffi Freedman-Gurspan serves as a Senior Associate Director for Public Engagement and the White House’s primary liaison to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. She is also an Outreach and Recruitment Director in the Presidential Personnel Office. She is the first appointee in the Obama White House who is openly transgender. </p>

<p> Raffi previously worked at the National Center for Transgender Equality as Policy Advisor for the Racial and Economic Justice Initiative. Prior to moving to Washington, DC, Raffi was a Legislative Director in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, LGBT Liaison for the City of Somerville, Massachusetts and worked with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. She also assisted in course and research work at Boston University’s Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program. </p>

<p> A graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, Raffi was adopted from Honduras and grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts. </p>

Raffi Freedman-Gurspan is a Deputy Director for the All on The Line campaign of the National Redistricting Action Fund, an affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee chaired by former US Attorney General Eric Holder. Raffi was the Director of External Relations at the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), where she oversaw public education and field organizing operations. She was also both a Senior Associate Director for Public Engagement, where she served as the primary liaison to the LGBTQ community, and Outreach and Recruitment Director for Presidential Personnel at the White House from 2015-2017. Raffi was the first openly transgender staffer to work at the White House. Raffi currently sits on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council as an appointee named by President Barack Obama. She is also a board member of SMYAL, a service provider based in Washington, which works with LGBTQ youth. Raffi has worked in non-profit and government sectors for nearly a decade. Her career includes prior employment at NCTE as Policy Advisor for the Racial and Economic Justice Initiative; a Legislative Director in the Massachusetts House of Representatives; LGBT Liaison for the City of Somerville, Massachusetts; and Raffi worked with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and assisted in gender studies course and research work at Boston University. A graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, Raffi was adopted from Honduras and grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts.