Rodrigo Lehtinen

Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen
Born (1986-04-01) April 1, 1986 (age 38)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
EducationBrown University (BA)
OccupationLGBT rights advocate
Parents
RelativesEnrique Ros (grandfather)

Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen (/ˈleɪtənən/ LAY-tən-ən; born April 1, 1986) is an American LGBT rights advocate.[1][2]

Early life and education

Heng–Lehtinen was born in Miami, Florida, on April 1, 1986.[3] He graduated from Palmer Trinity School, [4] where he was active in a dramatic arts club and mountaineering team,[5] served on the Honor Council, and founded a high school chapter of Amnesty International.[5][6] He attended Brown University, where he began living openly as a transgender man and later came out to his parents.[5]

Career

Heng-Lehtinen was a member of Queer Alliance at Brown University. While attending Brown, he produced the documentary, Free Within These Walls, about Cuban prisoners of conscience.[7] Heng-Lehtinen was a field organizer for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.[8] He was later the membership director at Gender Justice LA, a grassroots organization that works to build the power of the transgender community in Los Angeles through community organizing and leadership development. He also worked in fundraising at Liberty Hill Foundation, organized a transgender leadership development conference with the Transgender Law Center, and served as the membership manager at GLAAD, an LGBT media advocacy organization.[9]

In May 2015, Heng-Lehtinen was honored by the LGBT-rights group, SAVE Dade, at its 2015 Champions of Equality reception. He was honored for appearing with his mother in a highly rated television interview, increasing visibility of the transgender community.[10]

In May 2016, Heng-Lehtinen and his parents appeared in a public service announcement titled "Family is Everything", which discusses his family's personal journey and acceptance, that all South Florida families should embrace their children, and the reason why all Americans should have the same opportunities regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.[11]

Heng-Lehtinen was the public education director at Freedom For All Americans, the national campaign for LGBT nondiscrimination protections.[12]

Heng-Lehtinen became deputy executive director for policy and action at the National Center for Transgender Equality on July 1, 2019.[13] In July of 2021 Heng-Lehtinen moved from Deputy Executive Director into his current role as executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

In 2022, Heng-Lehtinen appeared in The Daily Wire documentary What Is a Woman?, during which he talked about the issue of transgender people in sports.[14]

In January 2024, NCTE revealed plans to merge with the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF), an organization dedicated to advancing transgender rights through legal action. The merger is expected to be completed in the summer 2024, resulting in the formation of a new entity called Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE),[15] with Heng-Lehtinen continuing in the role of Executive Director.

Personal life

Heng-Lehtinen is the older child of attorney and politician Dexter Lehtinen and former congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.[16][17] He is the grandson of author Enrique Ros.[16] He is of Turkish-Jewish and Cuban-Jewish descent through his mother and of Finnish descent through his father.[18][19] Heng-Lehtinen is the first openly transgender child of a member of Congress.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Exclusive Interview with Rodrigo Lehtinen Archived 2015-02-06 at the Wayback Machine". Ambiente Magazine. Accessed on February 6, 2015.
  2. ^ "Florida congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's son opens up about being transgender".Naples Daily News. Accessed on September 1, 2018.
  3. ^ Viglucci, Andres. "Lehtinens' First Hurrah is a Seven-pound Girl". The Miami Herald. April 2, 1986.
  4. ^ "Palmer Scholars". The Miami Herald. January 7, 2001.
  5. ^ a b c DeFede, Jim. "Amanda to Rodrigo, the son of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen" (Spanish). The Nuevo Herald. November 19, 2014. p. 1A.
  6. ^ "Palmer Trinity Names Honor Council Members". The Miami Herald. October 3, 2002.
  7. ^ Janusonis, Michael. "Latin American Film Festival - Cuba in the Spotlight - With Subtitles". Providence Journal. September 25, 2009. p. D1.
  8. ^ Rothaus, Steve. "Gay Rights Group will honor Two Lawmakers". The Miami Herald. March 17, 2010. p. 1B.
  9. ^ "GOP congresswoman, transgender son press for equal protections". CNN. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  10. ^ Rothaus, Steve. "SAVE to honor trans activists Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, Arianna Lint; FIU's Mark Rosenberg". The Miami Herald. April 3, 2015.
  11. ^ "Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, Husband Dexter, and Son Rodrigo Partner with SAVE and MDC to Promote Equality for all Americans". Targeted News Service. May 12, 2016.
  12. ^ "FFAA staff listing". Freedom For All Americans Team. Freedom For All Americans. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen Joins the National Center for Transgender Equality as Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Action". National Center for Transgender Equality. Jul 8, 2019. Retrieved Oct 11, 2019.
  14. ^ Harris, Malcolm (2022-07-06). "The Right's Dangerous 'Just Asking Questions' Anti-Trans Campaign Is Working". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  15. ^ Yurcaba, Jo. "Two of the country's largest transgender rights organizations will merge". nbcnews.com. NBC News. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Rothaus, Steve. "From Amanda to Rodrigo: CBS4 interviews Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's transgender son". The Miami Herald. November 18, 2014.
  17. ^ Meluzá, Lourdes. "Frente" (Spanish). The Nuevo Herald. August 30, 1987.
  18. ^ Kampeas, Ron (October 23, 2018). "Israel honors Congresswomen Ros-Lehtinen as a 'defender of Israel'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  19. ^ Ruohonen, Ilkka (April 1, 2012). "Ileana Ros-Lehtinen – Miamin rautarouva". Kansan Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  20. ^ "Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Opens Up About Her Son, The First Trans Child Of A Member Of Congress". The Huffington Post. Accessed on November 19, 2014.