: Many cultures have long recognized a "third gender" or diverse gender identities. In India, the

: When a policy only affects a specific group, name that group (e.g., "transgender students") rather than using the broad LGBTQ+ acronym [19].

Despite this shared history, the relationship between the transgender community and the non-trans (cisgender) LGB population has not always been harmonious. In the 1970s and 80s, trans people were often told that their presence would "distract" from gay rights. Figures like Sylvia Rivera were booed off stages at gay liberation rallies.

The alliance between transgender individuals and LGB communities is historically contingent, not natural or inevitable.

🏳️‍⚧️✨ Trans joy is revolutionary. ✨🏳️‍🌈

Emerging in 1920s-60s Harlem and exploding in the 1980s-90s, ballroom was a sanctuary for Black and Latinx queer and trans people excluded from white gay bars. Ballroom gave us:

Transgender culture, or "queer culture," is a collective consciousness built on shared struggles, accomplishments, and narratives.