Oral history interview with Aditi S. Hardikar, 2020
Abstract
Aditi Hardikar reflects on the relationship between the LGBTQ community and the Obama administration, which she supported through her work on the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, and in the White House as the associate director of public engagement in the Office of Public Engagement (OPE) from 2014 to 2016, where she was the administration's primary liaison to the LGBTQ and Asian American Paci fic Islander (AAPI) communities. Hardikar describes OPE's maintenance of relationships with outside advocacy organizations, day-to-day engagement activities, and facilitation of encounters between the White House and ordinary people. She also provides details about events and initiatives with which she was closely involved, including the rainbow lighting of the White House in response to the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), the administration's response to a petition calling for the banning of conversion therapy submitted through the White House's "We the People" platform, the White House's pride receptions, and the LGBTQ criminal justice roundtable. Also discussed are Hardikar's experience observing Obama's rise to national political prominence as an undergraduate, her LGBT fundraising activities during the 2012 campaign, Michelle Obama's roundtable discussions with queer women of color during the 2012 campaign, and the introduction of gender inclusive restrooms in the White House
Presidents--United States; Sexual minority community--United States; Same-sex marriage--Law and legislation--United States; Presidential campaigns--United States; Gender-neutral toilet facilities--United States; Sexual reorientation programs--United States; Hardikar, Aditi; Obama, Barack; Obama, Michelle, 1964-
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2020
Physical Description
55 pages
Note (Biographical)
Aditi Hardikar was the associate director of public engagement in the White House Office of Public Engagement from 2014 to 2016. Hardikar served as the White House's primary liaison to the LGBT and Asian American Pacific Islander communities. Since le aving the White House, she has worked on Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign for president, at the Obama Foundation, on the Biden-Harris Transition Team, and as deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of the Treasury
Note
Interviewed by Terrell Frazier on November 23, 2020. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Aditi S. Hardikar, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2022