Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made history as the nation’s highest-ranking gay official after the Senate confirmed him to the cabinet post on Monday. But the confirmation has gone unmentioned by the country’s top LGBT groups, which effusively praised former president Joe Biden’s gay and transgender nominees.
GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, and the National LGBTQ Task Force have yet to weigh in on Bessent, who was confirmed 68-29. The 62-year-old financier became the highest-ranking openly gay official to be confirmed by the Senate. As head of the Treasury, Bessent is now fifth in the line of presidential succession, surpassing liberal darling Pete Buttigieg, who was 14th in the line of succession as Biden’s transportation secretary.
Compared with Bessent, Buttigieg was swiftly lauded by LGBT groups after his Senate confirmation on Feb. 2, 2021. Within minutes of his Senate vote, GLAAD stated that Buttigieg was “making history and moving our country forward.” The Human Rights Campaign said Buttigieg’s “historic” confirmation “broke through barriers.” The LGBTQ+ Victory Institute called it a “groundbreaking confirmation.”
None of the groups have released statements about Bessent’s confirmation or posted about it on social media feeds. They did not respond to requests for comment.