This guide is a living document. Language and understanding evolve; always center the voices of contemporary trans people.

These disparities sometimes lead to friction within the culture, as trans activists call for the "LGB" portions of the community to use their relative social capital to protect the most vulnerable members of the "T." The Future of the Community

The transgender community is a diverse group of individuals whose gender identities, expressions, or behaviors differ from the sex they were assigned at birth. It is a community built on the courage to live truthfully, often navigating a world that is still learning how to be fully inclusive.

Much of what the world currently recognizes as mainstream LGBTQ+ culture—including slang, fashion, dance, and humor—originates directly from the historical trans and gender-nonconforming community, specifically Black and Latine trans individuals within the ballroom scene.

Gender identity refers to a person's deeply felt, internal sense of being male, female, non-binary, or another gender. Transgender individuals have a gender identity that differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Cisgender individuals have a gender identity that aligns with their assigned sex at birth. Sexual Orientation

The 1980s saw the emergence of the AIDS epidemic, which disproportionately affected the LGBTQ community. Trans individuals, particularly trans women of color, were among the hardest hit. Many were marginalized, excluded from healthcare services, and stigmatized by both the medical community and the general public.