Congressman tweets support for transgender granddaughter

California's Mike Honda says he's a "proud grandpa" but worries about anti-trans bullying

By John Riley on February 19, 2015 @JohnAndresRiley

“As the proud grandpa of a transgender grandchild, I hope she can feel safe at school without fear of being bullied.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) with his granddaughter

— U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.),the founder and chairman of the Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus and a founding member of the LGBT Equality Caucus, in a tweet posted to his official Twitter account. Honda, who represents the San Jose area in Congress, received an outpouring of support after tweeting a picture of himself with his granddaughter. According to the San Jose Mercury News, this is not the first time that Honda has acknowledged his granddaughter’s gender identity, as he made videotaped remarks mentioning his transgender grandchild that were aired at an anti-bullying conference held in Southern California. In response to a Huffington Post article written by a parent and transgender advocate who attended the conference, Honda issued a statement saying: “We need to ensure that our LGBTQ youth are never bullied because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. These children need our protection and love.”

Image credit: Rep. Mike Honda’s Twitter account (@RepMikeHonda).

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