: Hispanic adults have seen the fastest growth in identification, reaching double digits in 2021. 2. Transgender Community Experience

Transgender individuals have been the primary architects of much of the language and aesthetics used in LGBTQ+ culture today.

The modern LGBTQ+ rights movement didn’t start in boardrooms; it started in the streets, led largely by transgender women of color. Figures like and Sylvia Rivera were at the forefront of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. At the time, the distinction between "gay" and "transgender" was less rigid in the public eye—everyone who defied traditional gender and sexual norms was grouped together.

The “T” has been an integral part of LGBTQ+ activism since the beginning, notably in the 1969 Stonewall riots led by trans figures like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Shared struggles—against criminalization of gender/sexual expression, for healthcare access, and against family rejection—create deep bonds. Many trans people also identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, making their experiences overlapping.

The trans community has pushed queer culture to adopt pronouns (ze/zir, they/them) and terms (AFAB/AMAB, egg, cisgender) that allow for granular discussions of identity. This has spilled into mainstream linguistics, forcing society to acknowledge that language must adapt to reality.