Comment on this story: “All of these headlines have greatly bothered me,” expresses Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. She is a 71-year-old, petite woman with a powerful voice and a former Republican congresswoman. While observing an SUV attempting to parallel park outside of Le Bon Café on Capitol Hill, she can’t contain her laughter as it comically maneuvers back and forth. Ileana acknowledges the impact that headlines and laws have on her emotionally, specifically regarding the animosity towards transgender individuals. Surprisingly, she criticizes this hostility more strongly than expected from a former Republican congresswoman. Her 37-year-old son, Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, sits next to her, enjoying the moment and adding to their laughter.
Rodrigo, who is transgender, came out to his parents during college in 2007, which initially shocked Ileana. However, she and her husband wholeheartedly embraced their son’s identity. Since then, they have encouraged other parents to do the same, which contrasts with the prevailing perspective within their political party. Ileana and Rodrigo have been fighting for transgender rights in their respective roles in Washington. Rodrigo serves as the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, where he advocates for transgender Americans to the Biden administration. Ileana, a lobbyist for Akin Gump, has been engaging in closed-door discussions with Republican officials in an effort to change their minds regarding transgender rights. She emphasizes the importance of accepting and loving every individual, highlighting that transgender individuals are part of someone’s family and deserve understanding.
Ileana maintains a residence near the café, which she used during her time in Congress. Rodrigo now lives there with his husband, and Ileana stays there when she’s in town. Due to her previous position, she still has connections on Capitol Hill. On this particular day, she spots a familiar face hurrying by and calls out to him affectionately. The man, a Florida Republican congressman by the name of Rutherford, turns and greets Ileana warmly. They exchange pleasantries and affectionate gestures before parting ways. It becomes evident that Ileana’s fellow Republican lawmakers often exhibit compassion and understanding in one-on-one interactions, but adherence to the party’s collective ideology makes it difficult for them to fully support transgender rights.
When Ileana first arrived in Washington in 1989, she was the first Cuban elected to Congress, and few people in national politics understood what it meant to be transgender. During those days, headlines centered around HIV/AIDS, and same-sex marriage was emerging as a political debate. In 1996, Ileana, along with 118 Democrats, voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Around 2001, rumors circulated at Rodrigo’s high school that he was attracted to both men and women, prompting a family discussion. Rodrigo recalls that his parents took the news in stride, treating it as a non-issue. In subsequent interviews, Ileana credited Rodrigo, along with his older sister and changing views in her district, as catalysts for her evolving stance on LGBTQ+ rights. She co-sponsored legislation in 2005 to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and in 2006, she opposed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. In 2008, she became a founding member of the House LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. By 2011, Ileana became the first Republican to support the Respect for Marriage Act, which aimed to allow same-sex couples to marry legally.
Ileana and Rodrigo believe that personal connections and social proximity can eventually sway Republicans on issues related to transgender rights. However, the relatively small number of transgender individuals in the United States poses a challenge. According to the Williams Institute, approximately 1.6 million Americans identify as transgender, which amounts to only about half a percent of the population. Trey Grayson, Kentucky’s former Republican secretary of state and co-chair of Conservatives Against Discrimination, acknowledges this challenge and highlights the importance of personal relationships for changing hearts and minds within the Republican Party.
While progress among Republicans may not yet be reflected in full acceptance, the absence of hostility is still seen as a step in the right direction. Rep. Mark Pocan, co-chair of the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, commends Ileana for her efforts to discourage her fellow Republicans from challenging the legitimacy of transgender individuals. He views the avoidance of frequent bills and amendments aimed at undermining transgender rights as a form of progress.
Being a pro-trans Republican remains a complex contradiction within the party. Presidential candidates within the GOP understand that publicly condemning transgender individuals may be politically advantageous within their conservative base, but advocates like Ileana and Rodrigo strive to bring empathy and understanding to the forefront of political discourse.
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