Before diving into history and culture, it is vital to ground the discussion in language. The transgender community exists at the intersection of sex (biology), gender identity (internal sense of self), and gender expression (external presentation).

Major incidents of grassroots resistance against police harassment predated the better-known Stonewall Riots, such as the 1959 Cooper Do-nuts Riot in Los Angeles and the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot in San Francisco.

An umbrella term for people whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.