Historically, the modern LGBTQ rights movement was born from acts of resistance led by trans and gender-nonconforming individuals. The often-cited origin point is the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, where figures like Marsha P. Johnson, a self-identified transvestite and gay liberation activist, and Sylvia Rivera, a Latina trans woman, were at the forefront of the confrontation with police. Their visibility and courage remind us that the fight for sexual orientation rights (gay and lesbian liberation) was inextricably linked to the fight for gender identity rights from the very beginning. In these early years, the overlapping bars, social clubs, and activist spaces provided a lifeline for those who were outcasts from their families and society—whether they were effeminate gay men, butch lesbians, or trans women. Shared experiences of police brutality, employment discrimination, and social ostracism forged a powerful coalition under a nascent "gay liberation" banner.

At its core, the LGBTQ+ acronym brings together two different but related concepts. (who you are attracted to) describes identities like gay, lesbian, and bisexual. Gender identity (your internal sense of being male, female, a blend of both, or neither) describes identities like transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer.

As Leo spoke about his journey—the struggles with gender minority stress and the liberation of his first haircut—the room didn't just listen; they mirrored his experience. They offered "polite corrections" for those who might stumble on his journey and shared a guide to being a good ally for him to give to his parents.