🏳️‍⚧️ 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭

I've seen more than enough posts claiming that trans people don't exist, that being trans is a mental illness, or that trans people are somehow dangerous simply for living openly. I'm tired of seeing these ideas repeated as though they are facts.

Trans people exist. They have always existed, and they deserve the same dignity, safety, freedom, and respect as everyone else.

As a cis gendered gay man, I know what it's like to have your identity treated as something that needs to be debated, explained, corrected, or condemned. That experience makes it impossible for me to stay silent while another part of our community is targeted. LGBTQIA+ rights are interconnected. When trans people are attacked, the entire LGBTQIA+ community is weakened. When trans people are defended, all of us move closer to genuine equality.

I'm also sick of the mockery. Jokes about trans people may be presented as harmless, but they contribute to an atmosphere where trans people are treated as less human and their dignity is considered optional. There is nothing brave or clever about making someone else the punchline simply because they are different.

What frustrates me just as much is seeing gay people refuse to support trans people. Our communities have never been completely separate. We have shared movements, spaces, struggles, and victories. Many trans people have stood alongside gay and lesbian people in the fight for LGBTQIA+ liberation, and gay people should not abandon trans people now that some of us have gained greater acceptance.

You do not have to share every experience with someone to defend their right to live freely. Supporting trans people does not diminish gay rights; it strengthens the principle that LGBTQIA+ people should not be punished, mocked, excluded, or denied dignity because of who they are.

I also want to say something about the bystanders; the people who see the mockery, the lies, and the hostility but choose not to say anything. I understand that confronting prejudice can feel uncomfortable, but silence still has an effect. When someone is being targeted and everyone else looks away, the person doing the targeting can feel encouraged, while the person being attacked is left to face it alone.

And when I'm told, "who cares," the answer is: I care. Trans people care. Their families, friends, and communities care. Anyone who believes that people deserve to live safely and honestly should care. "Who cares," is not a neutral response when someone's existence and rights are being mocked. It dismisses real harm and sends the message that trans people's dignity is not worth defending.

No one has to become an expert or have the perfect words. Sometimes support is as simple as saying, "that isn't okay," refusing to laugh along, correcting misinformation, using someone's name and pronouns, or checking in with the person being targeted. Doing nothing is a choice, but so is standing up.

We should know better than to repeat the same cruelty that was once directed at us. Solidarity cannot mean supporting only the parts of our community that society finds easiest to accept. If our freedom matters, then trans people's freedom must matter too.

I also want to recognise the trans people and gender nonconforming people who helped build the movements many of us benefit from today. Marsha P. Johnson was a prominent LGBTQIA+ activist and a tireless advocate for homeless young people, people living with HIV/AIDS, and others pushed to the margins. She was part of a broader community of activists whose courage helped shape the fight for liberation.

Marsha's legacy should be remembered honestly and respectfully. She is often associated with the Stonewall uprising, though the exact details of who initiated particular events remain disputed. That uncertainty does not diminish the importance of her life or activism. She helped make LGBTQIA+ resistance visible, and her work deserves to be honoured—not erased or reduced to a convenient talking point.

To all of my trans friends and community members: you are real, you belong here, and you deserve to live without constantly having to justify your existence.

And to everyone else, especially those of us within the LGBTQIA+ community: solidarity should not stop where our own personal experience ends. We owe one another more than silence. We should listen to trans people, stand up when they are mocked or attacked, and refuse to treat their existence as a political argument.

Trans rights are human rights, and you'll never be able to change my mind 🏳️‍⚧️