Learn the name of a trans activist from your local city. Watch Disclosure on Netflix (a documentary about trans representation in film). And the next time you see a "Protect Trans Kids" sign, remember: You aren't just protecting a small minority. You are protecting the very idea that we all get to decide who we are. This post is dedicated to Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and every trans person who just wants to live their life in peace.

Before there was Stonewall, there was Compton’s Cafeteria. In 1966, three years before the famous Stonewall Inn riots, a riot broke out in San Francisco. The instigators? Transgender women and drag queens fighting back against police harassment. This act of defiance was a precursor to the modern gay rights movement.

The trans community taught us to tear up the rulebook on gender. Now, we need to follow their lead to tear down the walls of discrimination.

If you’ve ever seen a Pride parade, you’ve witnessed the spectacle: the glitter, the rainbow flags, the joyful noise. But look closer. At the front of that march—often literally leading the way—are transgender women of color. They aren’t just part of the LGBTQ+ community; they are the architects of its modern identity.