Palm Springs Mayor Lisa Middleton has been invited by President Biden to attend the White House's annual Pride Month celebration on June 15.
She is Palm Springs' first openly transgender mayor and expressed gratitude for the invite in a statement contained in a June 13th Desert Sun article.
“I am deeply honored to be invited by President and Dr. Biden to attend this year’s Pride Month celebration. On behalf of the city council and the citizens of Palm Springs, we thank the Biden Administration for recognizing and celebrating Pride Month and the many incredible accomplishments of LGBTQIA+ citizens," Middleton said.
Since Mayor Middleton will be turning 70 on the day of the celebration, she described it as "a wonderful birthday present that I will never forget," the Desert Sun reported.
According to the Desert Sun, Mayor Middleton has made history as the first openly transgender person to serve as mayor in California. Meanwhile, she is the third openly trans mayor of a city in the history of the United States. Middleton began her term as mayor in December of 2021.
The first openly transgender mayor in the United States was Stu Rasmussen, elected in the city of Silverton, Oregon, in 2008. Rasmussen died on Nov. 17, 2021. The second trans mayor was Jess Herbst, who served in New Hope, Texas, in 2016 and had been next in line after the death of the previous mayor.