It is impossible to separate the modern transgender rights movement from the broader fight for queer liberation. The Stonewall Uprising of 1969, often cited as the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ movement, was led by trans women of color like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. In those early days, a person could be arrested simply for wearing "the clothing of the opposite sex." There was no legal distinction between a gay man, a drag queen, and a trans woman; the police saw them all as deviants.
LGBTQ+ culture provides crucial support and identity development for many trans individuals: teen shemale gallery 2021