Bogota’s mayor has appointed the capital’s first transgender public official, as director of corporate management in the city’s Social Integration Department.
In an interview with El Espectador, newly-appointed director Tatiana Piñero expressed her admiration for Bogota’s new Mayor Gustavo Petro, and his support for LGBT issues.
Piñero described Petro as “a person who recognizes diversity, who respects and values people for their work, and not whether they are African, LGBT or indigenous.”
The department in which she is taking up her position is described as responsible for the development and implementation of social policies which guarantee citizens of Bogota “the ability to exercise their rights, in conditions of equality.”
The new director spoke of Petro’s interest in and support of LGBT meetings in the city, through which the two met. Piñero said the mayor was “very interested in a transgender woman who was professional, and had my experience, so we started working together.”
In the interview Piñero — who has 13 years experience of managing public resources at district and national levels — also outlined her priorities as newly-appointed director. They include addressing the needs of children and the elderly in the city, and setting up control points within the department to prevent corruption.