Florida Representative Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen on Thursday met with reality star and transgender
activist Caitlyn Jenner.
“Met @Caitlyn_Jenner about her gender
transition story + how we can help #trans Americans live as their
true selves,” Ros-Lehtinen – who has a transgender son, Rodrigo –
tweeted to her more than 80,000 followers.
Jenner, a Republican, posted a photo of
herself and author-activist Margaret Hoover standing outside
Congress. “Big day at Capitol Hill. @m_hoov and I got to chat
with a few #Republican reps about #LGBT issues. It's a time for
change!” she captioned the photo.
(Related: Caitlyn
Jenner says coming out Republican was harder than coming out
transgender.)
According to the Washington
Blade, Ros-Lehtinen quietly co-sponsored the Equality Act on
Friday, making her the second House Republican behind Robert Dold of
Illinois to do so. Senator Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois,
has also co-sponsored the legislation.
Introduced last year, the Equality Act
seeks to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination in seven key areas,
including credit, education, employment, federal funding, housing,
jury service and public accommodations, by effectively expanding the
Civil Rights Act, originally approved in 1964.