An umbrella term for anyone whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. This includes binary trans people (trans men, trans women) and non-binary people.

Without gender. An agender person may identify as having no gender identity or being gender-neutral.

The joy or relief experienced when one’s gender is affirmed—being correctly gendered, seeing oneself after medical transition, or wearing affirming clothing.

Despite these deep cultural ties, the transgender community is currently facing a crisis unprecedented in recent memory. From 2020 onward, legislative attacks in the US, UK, and beyond have targeted:

These attacks are often driven by a coalition of conservative Christian groups and, disorientingly, a vocal minority of trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) like J.K. Rowling, who frame trans rights as a threat to "female-only" spaces. This has created a painful rift: cisgender LGB people who support trans people versus cisgender LGB people who believe trans rights erase LGB realities.

Where does mainstream LGBTQ culture stand? Increasingly, unequivocally, with trans people. Major LGBTQ organizations (HRC, GLAAD, The Trevor Project) have made trans rights a central pillar. Pride parades now feature massive trans flags and chants of "Protect Trans Kids." However, a quieter "LGB without the T" movement has emerged, attempting to sever the alliance. This is a historical and strategic error. As Rivera shouted in 1973, "Hell hath no fury like a drag queen scorned."

The truth is that the right wing does not distinguish between a "respectable" cisgender gay couple and a transgender woman. The same Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade is signaling interest in revisiting Obergefell (marriage equality) and Lawrence (sodomy laws). The attack on trans existence is the entering wedge for the attack on all queer existence.