Keywords
Transgender history, LGBTQA+, Transgender Activism
Abstract
Coalition-building within the transgender movement has received scant attention from scholars in transgender history. The vulnerable period after the Stonewall Riots in 1969 was one of extreme growth in the transgender movement, as trans people came together to challenge injustices they experienced, such as employment discrimination, cross-dressing laws, police brutality, and equal access to medical care. This essay documents not only the extent of these injustices, but also the ways in which trans people united to educate and support one another in the face of injustice. Trans activists also sought to educate cisgender people and reform the prejudices of people in power. Through the examination of how trans people built coalitions in their nascent movement, this essay illuminates the power of alliances for minority groups seeking to reform society and build a movement.
Recommended Citation
Grafstein, Julia F. (2024) "The "Burden of Blame": Coalition-Building In the Transgender Movement from the 1970s through the 1990s," Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal: 5 (2), 29-70. https://works.swarthmore.edu/suhj/vol5/iss2/2