WASHINGTON D.C. — As the 116th Congress gets underway, some of its incoming members are sending a message to their constituents — and their colleagues — that times are changing.
According to NBC News, newly-elected Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) hung a trans pride outside her office in the Longworth House Office Building on the south side of D.C. It’s an unusual sight amongst the common flags that are traditionally displayed.
The flag has special meaning to Wexton, who says she’s the aunt of a transgender child.
“This is personal for me,” Wexton said according to NBC News. “We’re talking about my family and friends. I want everyone in the trans community to know that they are welcome and loved even in the face of this administration and its attacks on who they are.”
Multiple people shared images of the flag outside Wexton’s office across Twitter.
https://twitter.com/BradDirks/status/1080961385624829953
“I didn’t think putting it up would be a big deal, but I’ve received a huge outpouring of support and appreciation from the LGBT community in the past two days,” she continued. “We’ve been receiving messages from across the country and they’ve been telling me how much it means to them to see that in the halls of Congress.”
It just so happens that one of the first trans people elected to state office, Danica Roem, is one of Wexton’s constituents.
“Thank you,” Roem tweeted. “I’m proud to call you my congresswoman.”
Wexton’s statement comes on heels of another public expression of LGBT representation during the start of the 116th Congress.
On Thursday, Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) broke the Internet when images of her being sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence went viral, with many people noting the irony of a right-wing evangelical Christian swearing in an openly bisexual woman who chose to put her hand on a lawbook rather than a bible.
The 116th Congress is already being recognized as the most diverse in history with the largest ever influx of female lawmakers, among them being Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who are the first Muslim women to serve in Congress, and Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Deb Haaland (D-NM), who are the first Native American women to serve.
Featured image via Twitter
