Modern LGBTQ activism has realized a hard truth: LGB rights are fragile if trans rights fall. The legal logic used to dismantle trans healthcare (arguments about "safety" and "parental rights") is the same logic that was historically used against gay adoption and AIDS funding. Consequently, mainstream LGBTQ organizations (HRC, GLAAD, The Trevor Project) have made trans advocacy their top priority.

Consider a simple scenario: A trans woman who loves men. Prior to transition, she may have been seen as "gay." After transition, she is perceived as straight. Does she still belong in LGBTQ spaces? Similarly, a non-binary person dating a cisgender lesbian challenges the definition of "lesbian." While the culture is evolving, this friction has led to the emergence of "LGB drop the T" movements—small but vocal groups that argue being trans is a matter of gender identity, not sexual orientation. The overwhelming consensus of the larger community rejects this, but the sentiment has caused real psychological harm to trans individuals who already navigate a world that questions their existence.

Transgender women of color experience disproportionately high rates of violence.

However, there are also many triumphs: