WASHINGTON (AP) - The District of Columbia government is launching what it calls the nation's first government-sponsored campaign to promote awareness and understanding of transgender people.

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Mayor Vincent Gray will unveil five advertisements Thursday evening that will soon be displayed around the nation's capital.

The ads feature transgender people who live in the district.

The mayor's office says it wants to ensure that transgender people have equal access to employment, housing and public accommodations and that they feel safe.

Transgender people have been subjected to periodic violence in parts of the city.

Gray will launch the campaign at MOVA Lounge, a gay bar in the trendy U Street area of northwest Washington.