While the LGBTQ+ community shares common goals, the transgender community faces unique hurdles that go beyond sexual orientation:

To understand the relationship, we must clarify terms.

The intersection occurs because gender identity and sexual orientation are distinct, but they are often perceived as a monolith by the outside world. Historically, gender non-conformity was frequently conflated with homosexuality. A gay man who acted "effeminately" or a lesbian who dressed "masculinely" blurred the lines between gay and trans experiences. Consequently, the fight for gay rights has always been intertwined with the fight to express gender freely.

The most common point of confusion lies at the heart of the acronym. Generally speaking, LGB (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual) refers to sexual orientation—who you are attracted to. Transgender refers to gender identity—who you know yourself to be in relation to the male/female binary.

A transgender person has a gender identity that differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. For example, a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. This identity has nothing inherent to do with whom she loves; she could be straight (attracted to men), a lesbian (attracted to women), bisexual, or asexual.

LGBTQ+ culture, therefore, is an alliance of distinct but overlapping communities united by a shared history of marginalization and a common fight for the freedom to define their own lives and loves.