But within that vibrant rainbow, there are distinct stories, struggles, and triumphs. Today, we want to focus on the “T.” What is it like to be transgender within the broader LGBTQ+ culture? And how does that experience differ from the "L," "G," or "B"?

Despite the challenges, the transgender community and LGBTQ culture have made significant progress in recent years:

Transgender culture has gifted the broader world a more precise vocabulary for the human experience. Concepts like (who you are) versus sexual orientation (who you love) became mainstream largely through the advocacy of the trans community.

In the decades following Stonewall, as the gay rights movement pivoted toward respectability politics (seeking acceptance by appearing "normal" to straight society), trans people were frequently sidelined. Rivera was famously booed off stage at a gay rights rally in 1973 when she tried to speak about the imprisonment of trans people. This schism reveals a painful truth: LGBTQ culture was not always a safe haven for the "T."

The term "transgender" refers to individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender identity is a person's internal sense of being male, female, or something else, while sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define humans as male or female. Transgender individuals may identify as male or female, or they may identify as non-binary, genderqueer, or agender, among other identities.

Move past the meme and talk to the people who use the term. Key Discussion Points:

The relationship isn't always perfect. For decades, transphobia has existed inside gay and lesbian bars and organizations. You might have heard of the "LGB Alliance" or historical debates about excluding trans women from "women-born-women" spaces.