The History of Trans & Gender Non-Conforming People

While there have certainly been important strides for equality, this linear and progressive view isn’t entirely accurate. During Pride season messaging often celebrates LGBTQ communities without naming and addressing the policies and systems that continue to attack LGBTQ lives. It’s important to celebrate and protect LGBTQ communities. LGBTQ people – and especially Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people – are in danger and need emergency support.

There is a staggering disconnect between the ways that Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people are represented in media and the reality of Trans and Gender Non-Conforming lives. This is because the majority of content shared about Trans people comes from right-wing sources that are biased and factually incorrect. What this leads to is a widespread belief that Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people are asking for “special rights.” This media reduces Trans and Gender Non-Conforming life to a political opinion, a talking point, a debate, political correctness. What gets lost is the humanity of Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people. It’s ironic that the very people who accuse Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people for “making up” genders continue to fabricate political issues that don’t exist as a way to distract people from the ones that actually do.

Support for Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people shouldn’t be political, it’s just about being honest and accurate. Gender diversity has always been here and is always here to stay. Instead of being critical of Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people, we need to shift the focus to a society that forces people into harmful gender norms.