Congressman is so proud to have a 10-year-old trans grandchild
Democratic Congressman Mike Honda has reiterated his pride for his transgender granddaughter.
Mike Honda – who has long been an advocate for LGBT rights within the Democratic party – spoke out last year after lawmakers in a number of states prepared measures which would target trans people.
As the proud grandpa of a transgender grandchild, I hope she can feel safe at school without fear of being bullied. pic.twitter.com/NDIfOdW9sk
— Rep. Mike Honda (@RepMikeHonda) February 18, 2015
Sharing a photo of himself with his granddaughter Malisa, back in 2015, he tweeted: “As the proud grandpa of a transgender grandchild, I hope she can feel safe at school without fear of being bullied.”
He has now spoken in an interview to revisit his support for his granddaughter’s gender identity.
Honda said: “When she was about 18 months, she declared to the family that “I’m a girl.” And when she was just about three years old, she said, ‘I’m a girl. My name is Malisa, and this is how you spell it.’
“So, she exhibited a persistence, insistence and consistency that told us that this is something that we have to join her journey and make sure that her journey is safe and secure. And this is the kind of security and safety that I was thinking about when we talked about providing the children of Syria and orphans of Syria that kind of protection. It’s no different.”
Last year, after his tweet was shared thousands of times, he said: “Malisa and I are blessed and humbled by your support. We want to say: thank you so much.”
He told the LA Times: “It makes me believe that we are closer than ever to a society where everyone is accepted for who they are.
“On behalf of my granddaughter and daughter, along with the rest of my family, let me say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has replied, retweeted, or commented their support through social media.
“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 our love.”
Mr Honda previously sponsored a bill in 2009 that expanded hate crime protections to include actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
