Friends In High Places

I came across an article about a Florida Congresswoman who has a trans-son.

Congresswoman on transgender son: I love my child no matter what
USA Today
By: Catalina Camia
November 18, 2014

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has words of advice for other parents with transgender children: Don’t reject them, and always show your love.

“Don’t freak out, stay calm and don’t be afraid,” the Florida Republican told CBS News. “Love your child because that person is your child whether it’s the person you wanted him or her to be or not. That’s my advice to parents: Never, never reject your child. That’s unconditional love no matter what.”
[…]
Lehtinen, now 28, was born Amanda. She came out as gay in high school and decided in college she would become a transgender man. Rodrigo’s mother — the first Cuban American elected to Congress in 1989 — is the most senior Republican woman in the House. His father, Dexter Lehtinen, is a former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.

Besides USA Today mangled the pronouns (they seem to use female pronouns before his transition and male pronouns after his transition) the article goes on to say that his mother was a co-sponsor of legislation to repeal DOMA and the only Republican in the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus.

In 2011 when our bill was being debated on the floor of the House, one of the representatives said in the floor debate that he has a cousin who is trans. He said that he sent his cousin a Christmas card using her female name and received a thank you from her telling him how she cherished the card.

It is important that we do have allies in legislative bodies because they can add personal experiences and lobby better for us then any of us can. They speak from the heart.