This article is part of “Finding Pride in a Divided America,” a special series from MSNBC Daily.
The modern LGBTQ+ rights movement began 56 years ago this month in New York City when a group, led by transgender women of color, fought back against police discrimination at the famed Stonewall Inn.
But in the decades since, many trans people feel as if they have been pushed to the sidelines as the larger queer community has notched wins for recognition and protection, like the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that guaranteed the right of marriage for same-sex couples 10 years ago. (Notably, lawmakers in a number of states are now seeking to role back that landmark ruling.) While trans people face increasing hardship as their rights and mere existence come under scrutiny from conservative lawmakers, many also feel a lack of vocal support from the cisgender folks within the LGBTQIA community.
Many transgender people say they are on the outside looking in on the very movement they started.
In 2025, with transgender rights the main target of our administration, right-wing politicians and right-wing media, many transgender people say they are on the outside looking in on the very movement they started.
“That dynamic is always there. There’s always this desire that if somehow people can be more presentable to the wider public that there’ll be acceptance in that,” Imara Jones, creator of TransLash Media, told me.
“And I think that one of the things that we’re seeing is the fallacy of that, with respect to, for example, now the attempts to ban gay marriage, right? Within authoritarian shifts that center gender and sexuality, there’s not a safe space for anyone.”
It may be more comfortable to talk about unity and celebration of the LGBTQ rights movement, especially during Pride Month. But if we don’t address the cracks and tensions within our own communities, and if we resist having more honest conversations about whose rights we’re prioritizing over others’, none of us will ultimately achieve the liberation and support we all collectively seek.
The intracommunity battle is both complex and yet drills down to a simple question: Are non-trans queer folks willing to fight a battle that goes beyond their own personal safety?
Advocates, activists and experts say the right has done a good job of encouraging divisions within the community by trying to separate the “T” from the rest of the acronym. That the fissures that were always there have been papered over by other priorities in the community (such as marriage equality). And while acceptance and tolerance of cisgender queer people grew in the past 30 years, those cracks within the queer community became easier to hide.
But with more fixation from conservatives on trans rights, those fissures are widening. Jones says that the right’s attempts to split the community is done with “an understanding that unity is potentially the majority force in America. And that is the threat when you have a society which is closing in on itself. They don’t want that solidarity.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, the first out gay immigrant elected to Congress, told me that “we have a responsibility to uplift everyone. And I think that sometimes folks in the community forget [because] they feel they’ve achieved all the rights that they need. It’s not acceptable to turn our backs, and for anyone to turn their backs on clearly still the most marginalized members of our broader gay and queer community.”
It’s not just rhetoric that the trans community is dealing with. The American Civil Liberties Union is tracking 597 anti-LGBTQ bills in the United States just this year, most of which target trans rights specifically.
And those policy attacks are happening on the federal, state and local levels. On the national stage, the House passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023 with the assistance of two Democrats while the rest of the party held firm. At this point, with Democrats holding essentially no real power in Washington, there’s no expectation that any new bills protecting the community have a chance of passing or, even less likely, being signed by President Donald Trump. For Garcia, that means “stopping rights from being rolled back and bringing attention to those, especially those that are just incredibly cruel and move us backwards.” But on the local and state level (especially in blue ones like Colorado, California and Maryland), the policy prescriptions and protections can be more widespread and more creative. In Los Angeles County, supervisors approved a $7 million pilot program in November for organizations that have outreach programs and provide health and housing services to trans and intersex communities. It’s clear that ignoring the plight of trans people does not protect the rest of the queer community. Bamby Salcedo, the president and CEO of L.A.-based TransLatin@ Coalition who was instrumental in getting the measure passed, says that policies and legislation need to be “coupled with resources that will uplift the livelihood of trans, gender-expansive and intersex people” so folks in the community can be able to provide resources and assistance to their own community. This is a stellar example of true allyship for trans community members. But that same concept must be coupled with screaming from the rooftops. Salcedo told me that if people don’t want to get on the front lines in defense of trans rights, then they should donate or make calls, or post on social media. Just do something. “Social justice is not just for some of us. It’s supposed to be for all of us,” Salcedo said. “This is an invitation to all people who believe in social justice to really stand with our community in this super hard moment and do anything and everything that you can to contribute for a better future for trans people.” With new threats to rights we once thought were guaranteed, like the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, it’s clear that ignoring the plight of trans people does not protect the rest of the queer community. We would all be wise to heed Salcedo’s message: Now is the time to do something, and to do everything in our power to protect the most targeted among us. Because it’s pretty clear who they are coming for next.
Eugene Daniels is an MS NOW senior Washington correspondent and co-host of "The Weekend." 
