: Gender identity refers to one's internal self-perception as a man, woman, or another gender. It is distinct from sexual orientation; transgender people can identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or any other orientation.

LGBTQ culture is not a monolith; it is a sprawling ecosystem of history, art, and activism. At the center of its modern evolution is the transgender community. While trans individuals have existed across cultures for millennia—from the Two-Spirit people of Indigenous North America to the Hijra of South Asia—the 21st century has brought an unprecedented "transgender tipping point."

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Johnson, a self-identified drag queen and trans activist, and Rivera, a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), understood that the fight for sexual orientation was inseparable from the fight for gender identity. In the early days of the gay liberation movement, "LGBTQ culture" was effectively forged in the crucibles where trans people fought against police brutality. Without the trans community, there would be no Pride parade; without trans resilience, the modern queer rights movement would lack its foundational spirit of non-conformity.