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Washington congresswoman and progressive caucus co-chair Pramila Jayapal on Tuesday gave an emotional speech about her gender-nonconforming child while advocating for LGBTQ civil rights legislation at a historic hearing on Capitol Hill.

She became emotional as she explained how her child had discovered a “newfound freedom,” my colleague Sam Levin writes.

“I didn’t intend to say this today, but my beautiful now 22-year-old child told me last year that they were gender non-conforming, and over the last year, I have come to understand from a deeply personal mother’s perspective … their newfound freedom … to rid themselves of some conformist stereotype of who they are, to be able to express who they are at their real core.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) During @HouseJudiciary today, I shared why the #EqualityAct is so personal to me and my family. My child is finally free to be who they are. With that freedom comes a responsibility, for us as legislators, to legislate with love and not fear. pic.twitter.com/VfpiD9aDyY

Read Sam’s story here: