Washington, D.C. -
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senators Charlie Crist and Bernie Sanders have hung transgender pride flags outside their Capitol Hill offices.
Sunday is International Transgender Day of Visibility.
Representatives Ayanna Pressley, of Massachusetts, Jennifer Wexton, of Virginia, Pramila Jayapal, of Washington, Andy Levin, of Michigan, and Lori Trahan, of Massachusetts, also showed their support on social media. All of the lawmakers are Democrats.
"Discrimination has no place in our society," Sanders, who is vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, tweeted. "I am proud to display this flag as a symbol of my support for transgender people across the country. We must stand with transgender people in all of our communities."
Crist, who in 2012 switched parties and who as the Republican governor of Florida was opposed to LGBT rights, including allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt children, also tweeted support.
He captioned a photo of himself standing next to the transgender flag outside his office: "Proud to display @TransEquality's Transgender Pride Flag outside of my office during #TransVisibilityWeek & proud to have voted today against the President's ban on transgender service members. The trans community deserves our support today & always. #WontBeErased."
(Related:
House approves resolution calling Trump's ban on transgender troops "discriminatory.")
The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) provided the flags for members of Congress to display,
NBC News reported.
"Transgender people are in every town, every city, and every district," NCTE spokesperson Gillian Branstetter told NBC News in an email. "We wanted to make it clear to every member of Congress that we are their constituents and our rights can no longer be ignored."