doi:10.7916/tcxy-fp88Oral history interview with Gautam Raghavan, 2020Raghavan, Gautamoral historiesmixed materialSame-sex marriage--Law and legislation--United StatesGay rights--United StatesPresidents--United StatesHealth care reform--United StatesRaghavan, GautamObama, BarackWhite House (Washington, D.C.) StaffUnited StatesDepartment of DefenseDon't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010Gautam Raghavan discusses his contributions to the domestic and military policies of the Obama administration, in which he served as the White House liaison for the Department of Defense from 2009 to 2011 and associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement (OPE) from 2011 to 2014. In both the Department of Defense and the White House, Raghavan served as a liaison between the government and LGBTQ communities, and he outlines the importance of meetings and connections with LGBTQ advocacy organizations to the development and implementation of relevant policy initiatives. Raghavan provides details about several of these initiatives with which he was closely involved, including the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the White House's support for marriage equality, and the impacts of the healthcare reform effort on the LGBTQ community. Also discussed are OPE's efforts to expand access to the White House for members of historically-underrepresented communities, the importance in shifts in public opinion on LGBTQ issues over the course of the Obama presidency, the diversification of cultural celebrations held at the White House, and the administration's response to the shooting at the Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin in August 2012