Obama picks MN woman as 1st openly gay US marshal

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has nominated a Minnesota policewoman to become the first openly gay person to serve as a U.S. marshal.

Sharon Lubinski is an assistant chief in the Minneapolis Police Department, where she has worked for 20 years.

Obama has had a rocky relationship with gay activists, who want him to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays. He publicly pledged last weekend to do so.

He has picked openly gay people to serve in other positions in his administration, including the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

Comments

[Coloradem]

Such appointments are nice but they cannot replace policy changes....

You still have much work to do Mr. President.

[HelixScanr]

OMG! What an androgynous haircut!

[Crispian]

Like every president, Obama will do a lot of this sort of stuff to mollify the base, but never really institute significant change of policy. The fact that she is gay and appointed right after the protests signifies to me the overt political nature of it.

[RDAM]

Good for her, professionally. I doubt in her mind the story should lead with the fact that she's gay. I would imagine she's prefer...."Sharon Lubinski, an assistant chief in the Minneapolis Police Department, where she has worked for 20 years, has been nominated..." and save the "openly gay for the second graph, which is where AP chose to put her professional credentials...
We still have a ways to go...
But it's good news...

[cdub1991]

I just find it odd that one has to actually nominate a US marshall. Isn't it pretty much like being hired for any other law enforcement agency? (Stupid question probably, since the article indicates it isn't).

[dpavsek]

With so little information on the candidate it is difficult to evaluate her credentials, but 20 years on the Minneapolis Police Department and currently the assistant police chief speaks volumes for her leadership skills. Police work is still considered men's work and yet we have here an openly gay person - a lesbian - holding one of the highest leadership positions in the Minneapolis Police Department. I say "GO GIRL."