The LGBTQ+ acronym is not a hierarchy. The fight for gay marriage (largely a cisgender fight) was won, but the fight for housing, employment, and safety for trans people is still raging.

If you’ve ever seen a Pride parade, you’ve witnessed the spectacle: the glitter, the rainbow flags, the joyful noise. But look closer. At the front of that march—often literally leading the way—are transgender women of color. They aren’t just part of the LGBTQ+ community; they are the architects of its modern identity.

The trans community taught us to tear up the rulebook on gender. Now, we need to follow their lead to tear down the walls of discrimination.

Then came Stonewall (1969). The narrative has often been sanitized, but the truth is gritty: Two transgender activists, (a self-identified drag queen and trans activist) and Sylvia Rivera (a trans woman), were on the front lines. They threw the first bottles and bricks. For decades, the mainstream gay movement tried to distance itself from trans people, seeking "respectability" by excluding them. But the rioters knew that if you cannot protect the most marginalized (trans people, sex workers, the homeless), you protect no one.

Beyond the Acronym: Understanding the Transgender Community’s Vital Role in LGBTQ+ Culture