A Call for Unity . . . Again . . . And Again . . .

In today’s challenging times, the call for unity within the LGBTQ+ community is not merely a political slogan but a critical choice for our collective survival and liberation. As my friend and colleague in the Movement, Fabrice C Houdart astutely observed in his recent blog “On The Difficult Question of Global LGBTQ+ Unity,”“LGBTQ+ solidarity is always built; it can never be assumed.” And from my particular perspective as a transwoman, I feel like I have been banging the drum on precisely that point for nearly two decades now! Simply put, it must be a conscious decision to stand together, particularly between the gay and trans communities, who, despite the perceived rifts, share a foundational experience that binds them far more than it divides them.

At our core, we are all on a journey of following our hearts to our true and authentic selves, and it is this shared path that must be the foundation of our renewed solidarity. And here’s the thing, whether we care to admit or not, the playing field has flipped on us all. Those currently in power have come after my community with a vengeance, but do you honestly think they’re going to stop there? How long do you think it’s going to take them to turn their attention in full effect on the gay community by, among other things, coming after marriage – as if they haven’t already begun to do so by propping up disgraced Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis?

So what should we do? Perhaps we should start by recognizing that the connections between the trans and gay communities run deeper than theoretical debates or political nuances. While Fabrice notes that some “gay individuals” question the link between the two, he rightly dismisses these discussions as “distractions and cop-outs.” The truth is, the pursuit of an authentic life is a universal struggle within our community.

For a gay man or woman, this means bravely loving whom they choose in a world that often demands conformity. For a trans person, it means living in a gender that aligns with their internal truth, despite the external pressures to conform to their assigned sex at birth. Both journeys require a similar courage to defy societal expectations and embrace a personal truth that is often met with misunderstanding, hostility, or outright denial. This shared act of self-realization is our most powerful common ground.

And lest we forget, being trans isn’t totally an exclusive experience. In other words, the fact that I identify as trans does not exclude the reality that – as a person happily married (in Florida!) to another transwoman – I am also a lesbian. And as such this is a perfect example of the core foundational concepts that we all embody: each one of us has a gender identity and a sexual orientation of some variety that we embrace as our authentic self.

This unity is not just a matter of principle; it is a necessity in the face of a growing and indiscriminate threat. What is crucial to recognize is that these attacks do not discriminate. The laws and rhetoric that target trans people inevitably create a hostile environment for the entire community. The erosion of rights in one part of our community is a foothold for the further erosion of rights for us all. We are all under attack, and the only effective defense is a unified front.

Ultimately, unity is the last rampart in our fight for queer liberation. It requires us to consciously extend empathy across boundaries and to build a community that everyone is proud to belong to again.

The bond between the trans and gay communities, forged in the shared experience of seeking our authentic selves in a hostile world, is a powerful force. By recognizing this profound connection and taking responsibility for our collective fate, we can build a solidarity that is both a bulwark against our enemies and a beacon of hope for all who are searching for their true and authentic selves.