(triumphant music)
- Women are often the creators of change.
In terms of the changes that we see in our society,
in our culture, I think that women are those changemakers.
- [Narrator] Admiral Rachel Levine
is a groundbreaking leader,
public health champion, and an advocate.
She credits family support
for helping her get where she is today.
- My father has passed, but my mother is still alive,
and she is quite the role model.
She is a retired attorney.
I've always been motivated by those
who work for the benefit of others,
and that's what I try to do
- [Narrator] Last year, Rachel made history
becoming the first openly transgender four-star officer
across uniformed services.
- And raise your right hand and repeat after me.
- I will well and faithfully discharge the duties
of the office upon which I am about to enter.
- [Woman] So help me, God.
- So help me, God.
And it is truly my honor
to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Health,
and truly my honor to be an admiral
in the Public Health Service Commission Corps,
to be the first transgender individual who is an admiral
in any of the eight uniformed services,
and my goal is to give back.
- [Narrator] Part of giving back is Admiral Levine's message
to the transgender and nonconforming community.
(crowd cheering)
- The message here in Philadelphia, in Love Park,
is that trans rights are human rights.
You have worth.
You have tremendous worth just for who you are,
no matter who you love, no matter who you are,
no matter what your gender identity,
sexual orientation, or anything else.
And to be true to that,
and then everything else will follow.
And it highlights something which I truly believe in,
which is the value of diversity.
Diversity is just so important in our culture.
It's important for our country, for the world.
And so we really need to welcome diversity
and actually celebrate diversity
for what it brings to us as a nation
and what it brings to us globally.
- [Narrator] Admiral Levine wants her work
to be a shining example for all.
- With the COVID-19 pandemic and the other challenges
that we face, public health is more important than ever.
The pandemic has taught us like nothing before
how interconnected we all are.
The personal decisions that we make influence our families,
our communities, our nation, and the world.
I really feel that everything I've ever done,
again, whether it was in academic medicine, in education,
in clinical research, seeing my patients,
in my role in public health in Pennsylvania,
and now my role nationally has all led to this moment.
- [Narrator] And she plans to meet this moment
with courage and integrity.
- My definition of courage would be to be true to yourself
and to be true to who you are,
and then to pay that forward
to work towards the common good.
(soft music)