Translated transcript:

ARANTXA LOIZAGA (HOST): Many think that today, International Day Against Homophobia And Transphobia is a good moment to push the campaign in favor of transgender people. It may seem contradictory that one of the activists of this campaign is Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, who is known for her conservative positions, but as Lourdes Del Rio explains, there is an explanation for this, based on love.

[BEGIN VIDEO]

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN: Our son is transgender. We loved him equally as Amanda as we do now as Rodrigo.

RODRIGO ROS-LEHTINEN: Like many people, my gender identity has changed since being born.

[END VIDEO]

LOURDES DEL RIO: The Florida Republican Congresswoman Iliana Ros-Lehtinen considers herself to be conservative, but when it comes to rights of the LGBT community, the Cuban American lawmaker is not only liberal, but also an activist because of her personal story.

[BEGIN VIDEO]

DEXTER LEHTINEN: We are proud of Rodrigo.

[END VIDEO]

DEL RIO: Along with her husband Dexter Lehtinen, former Attorney General for the South Florida district, they are part of a campaign aimed at raising awareness about transgender people like their son Rodrigo. They seek to educate in order to avoid discrimination.

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN: The message is that the family is everything, the family is acceptance, the family should not reject their children but rather give them a strong hug and tell them they are part of the family and we will never reject them. This is love without conditions.

DEL RIO: Rodrigo Lehtinen was born a female named Amanda. When he was in high school, he told his parents he was homosexual. Later in college, he came out as transgender and since then is named Rodrigo.

RODRIGO ROS-LEHTINEN: I have been very fortunate that when I told my family I'm transgender, they accepted me. They said, “we have a lot of questions, we don't understand exactly what this means, but we know that we love you, we are still family, and this doesn't change when a person is transgender.”

DEL RIO: Statistics shows that at least half of transgender people are never accepted by their families, which produces a higher rate of suicide and drug abuse among members of this community. They feel excluded and discriminated against by society. Rodrigo's father is excited to speak about his son, who he says he accepts unconditionally.

RODRIGO ROS-LEHTINEN: My advice to transgender people is to speak with your family and give them the opportunity to go through their process

DEL RIO: The family of the congresswoman says that it has not been easy, but with love and acceptance they can achieve anything. The SAFE organization, creators of the Family is Everything campaign, say that the fact that the Lehtinens are being such a powerful voice is a huge help in the fight against misinformation that according to them exists among Hispanics in regards to this important topic.