like Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, and contemporary activists like Raquel Willis have long led the fight, yet they are also the most likely to be murdered or incarcerated. The Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20th), a solemn fixture of LGBTQ+ culture, was founded by trans advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, a Black trans woman killed in 1998.
True LGBTQ+ culture must recognize that . They are an extension of the same fight against compulsory heteronormativity, the gender binary, and state violence. When a trans child is allowed to use the bathroom that matches their identity, every gender-nonconforming person breathes easier. When a non-binary person is issued a passport with an "X" marker, the entire queer community celebrates the loosening of rigid categories.
However, contrary to revisionist narratives, trans people were not latecomers to the fight. They were on the front lines.