Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen

Yellow background with scattered books: “Happy Banned Books Week!” followed by a list: Read a favorite banned book; defend freedom of speech in schools; show appreciation for librarians and educators; remind community that books expand perspectives; get another banned book from the local library. ACLU logo.

It's Banned Books Week! Join us this year as we celebrate the freedom to read whatever we choose – free from government interference. Being able to learn about and engage with new ideas, especially those we may disagree with, is foundational to any healthy democracy.

Hello new followers! 👋🏼
Wondering what my deal is?
I’m a transgender advocate 🏳️‍⚧️
First openly trans kid of a sitting Member of Congress (Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican from Miami) 🏛️
My mission is to change hearts and minds for acceptance.
Because every trans person is a part of someone’s family 💛

Cat sitting inside a cardboard box

Cat sitting in a paper bag from Trader Joe’s

We bought Tootie many comfy cat beds. She prefers trash.
#catsofbluesky

🔗 www.littlereadersbigchange.org/programs/p/r...

📗 It gives reassurance and answers in an approachable, easy to read way.

📖 Donating a copy to a school, library, or community center will get this book in the hands of those who need it most.

#TransFamilies #TransYouth #TransBooks

📚 Looking for a concrete thing to do on trans rights? Put this book in a library!

🏳️‍⚧️ Trans people are under attack in unprecedented ways, yet trans youth are still coming out. Many families don’t know what to do. They’re shocked and overwhelmed. This book can help ease that.

Thank you for this cute quote graphic! 🤗

Aw thank you for posting!

Oh, you can do that?!

I know the pace of harmful legislation is swift and relentless.

But we have a tremendous record of stopping/removing harmful anti-LGBTQ+ provisions this year

We can stop this, too.

We just need to keep speaking up.

Beautiful day on the Potomac River with my husband ☀️

Congrats to AIDS United on a beautiful event! My mom and I had a lovely time. As a Republican member of Congress, she continuously fought for PEPFAR, and is still doing so today with partners like @globalequality.bsky.social

Say hello to Tootie, the new queen of our household! 👑
#catsofbluesky
#catsfortransrights

Kamora Woods, a Black transgender woman, was murdered. There is so much violence against trans women, especially Black trans women, when society treats some people as more disposable than others.

The biggest differences are that the work should have begun earlier, opponents of inclusion have far deeper pockets and more sympathetic media environments, and we are talking about a smaller population with less familiarity.

We are starting from behind with fewer resources.

But we can do this! 🌈

While there are unique qualities that led to same-sex marriage shifts; the biggest was people having literally thousands of conversations with friends, family, and neighbors.

It will take time and investment, but we can do the same on trans rights - and some of us already are.

🏳️‍🌈 Sometimes folks are surprised to learn that trans men can be gay too. Just as non-trans men and women can be any sexual orientation, so can trans people. Thank you to @lgbtqnation.com for inviting me to write about my process of self-realization as a gay trans man ✨

This is employment discrimination, pure and simple. People should be judged based on what they do, not who they are. These are veterans who volunteered to serve, worked hard, and met all the standards of performance. Kicking them out and now denying them promised retirement benefits is cruel.

Americans are relearning the lesson we learned during the Gilded Age of the late 1890s, when robber barons ran the government and the economy for their own benefit: Oligarchy is incompatible with the common good.

I'm hopeful we'll respond with a new progressive movement.

Alt text: A black-and-white rage comic meme. On the left, an angry character with bulging eyes and clenched teeth is yelling, “I F***ING HATE YOU AND HOPE YOU DIE.” On the right, a smiling simple-looking character responds calmly with, “I PASSED A BILL GIVING WORKING PEOPLE THE SAME INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES AS BILLIONAIRES.”

every news cycle about Sarah McBride:

This! Doctors who provide healthcare to young trans patients do so under long-researched standards of care that are broken down by different ages. Parents are at the table. It’s dangerous for the government to pressure doctors to ignore medical guidelines just because they have a political agenda.

A story about a girl named Becky who just wants to be allowed to play with other kids.

Trump-MAGA (and certain SCOTUS justices) must punch all the way down to Becky and other trans kids in middle school to make themselves and some in their coalition feel powerful.

Such people shouldn’t have power.

#booksky

YouTube video by Queerty Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen on Pride, Progress & the Power of Trans Visibility

🏳️‍⚧️ As long as everyday people don’t really understand what it means to be trans, the opposition will continue to turn that unfamiliarity into animus.

That’s why I’m focusing on hearts and minds - growing public acceptance.

Thank you @queerty.com for naming me a Pride50 honoree and chatting! 🏳️‍🌈

Canadian national in ICE custody passes away ICE makes official notifications to Congress, nongovernmental organization stakeholders, and the media upon an official report of a detained illegal alien’s death and posts a news release with relevan...

In journalism, we teach writers not to use “passes away.”

Please keep an eye on this story.

Please profile Johnny Noviello, a 49-year-old citizen of Canada.

Please investigate the investigation and hold people accountable, if applicable.

www.ice.gov/news/release...

Know your history

This decision encourages the dangerous practice of politicians making healthcare decisions, instead of doctors, patients, and their families

The #Skrmetti decision is disheartening. So many Americans still don’t know this medicine is safe & effective.

🔬 Studied for 40+ years
⚕️ Supported by every legitimate medical association, like the AMA
🩺 Standards of care broken down by different ages
🏥 Patients are closely monitored for safety

✨ Thank you @queerty.com for honoring me in the Pride 50! And alongside so many other fabulous honeorees. It was a magical night 🪩

It’s looking more and more like a dictatorship. That’s no way to treat a U.S. Senator. Claiming he was an attacker and failed to identify himself is delusional he’s a sitting senator. America is watching, and the tides are turning.