Lesbian to be Named to EEOC Post

The White House reportedly intends to nominate out lesbian Chai R. Feldblum to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Advocate.com has learned.

According to an administration official, Feldblum is believed to be the first openly gay person nominated to the EEOC. The announcement comes about a month after the Employment Non-Discrimination Act was introduced to the U.S. Senate, which will have to confirm Feldblum's appointment. According to The Nation, she was one of the lead drafters of the bill.

The agency is responsible for investigating employment discrimination claims. The commission is a five-member panel, and three of the spots are currently filled.

Feldblum is a professor of law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., as well as the director of the Law Center's Federal Legislation and Administrative Clinic, and codirector of Workplace Flexibility 2010. According to her university bio, she was once a clerk for Supreme Court justice Harry A. Blackmun. Her areas of expertise include disability rights, health and welfare rights, LGBT rights, and workplace issues.