FLORIDA: Transgender Son Of Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Speaks Out For First Time

Via CBS Miami:

Rodrigo Lehtinen grew up in a household grounded in Republican politics. His mother, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, was the first Cuban-American elected to Congress and has served in the House for the last 25 years. His father, Dexter Lehtinen, is the former US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida who oversaw the indictment of Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega. His grandfather, Enrique Ros, was an old-time Cuban-American hardliner and author who railed against Castro until his death last year at the age of 89.

“I came from a family where politics was very much talked about openly, calmly with respect on a regular basis,” he said. “So engaging that type of conversation about political issues or things that might be controversial is not foreign in my family.” As he sits for his first television interview, however, Rodrigo admitted the exposure feels a bit uncomfortable. “I’m generally a private person,” he said. “I know that may not be expected because my mom’s a politician and she’s very much in the public eye, but I’m just generally a more introverted person.”

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen signed DOMA, but has since become one of the few ardent LGBT allies in her party.