The modern LGBTQ+ rights movement didn’t start in boardrooms; it started in the streets, led largely by transgender women of color. Figures like and Sylvia Rivera were at the forefront of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. At the time, the distinction between "gay" and "transgender" was less rigid in the public eye—everyone who defied traditional gender and sexual norms was grouped together.
Originating in the Black and Latine trans communities of New York City, ballroom culture gave us "voguing," "slay," and the concept of "chosen families."
A common point of confusion within broader culture is the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity.
Transgender individuals have been the primary architects of much of the language and aesthetics used in LGBTQ+ culture today.
