You Are Who We Are Fighting For
In the midst of these hard times, Erin Reed and Zooey Zephyr fight for you. Just as the trailblazers of the past fought for all of us to have a better world, they’re fighting for the trans community and for the soul of the country today.
by Erin Reed and Zooey Zephyr
When Evan approached us to contribute to this series—a call to remind transgender people why they should stay with us as we traverse this dark and treacherous road—we wrestled with the question of how to find the perfect golden reason. What could we possibly say to convince someone, weary from the fight, not to give in? The truth is, the world has not been easy for us… not now, not for some time. And yet, to every transgender reader, the fact that you are here, reading this, is a testament to your resilience—a resilience you never should have been forced to summon. None of us asked to be conscripted into the vanguard of this fight for our rights. Yet here we are, standing together, side by side, facing an uncertain and hostile horizon.
We are not the first to face such odds. Imagine the patients at the Institute of Sexology in 1929 Berlin, gathered around a table, smiling and laughing with other queer people, even as the shadow of Hitler’s rise loomed over them. They, too, faced what must have seemed like insurmountable odds. Many made it out; many did not. But even in the darkest of times, they found something worth fighting for. They saw hope. They saw a future for people like them. They saw you.
Though not everyone survived, the world that emerged from that time made the next wave of transgender people possible—a wave even larger than the one before. The years between then and now gave rise to heroes we revere today, people who changed the world: Marsha P. Johnson, Lynn Conway, Lou Sullivan, Sylvia Rivera, Christine Jorgensen, Wendy Carlos. These are the trailblazers whose courage inspires us, whose lives remind us that the world can grow bigger, fuller, and freer for people like us.
But for those trailblazers, the world was far from kind. Drag bans were commonplace. Gay people couldn’t marry, and trans people were often denied legal recognition. Some even had their marriages annulled by courts after the death of a spouse. When it came to rights, there were none. We lost many during those years. Yet those who remained, who stayed and fought, did so even though they never asked to be on the frontlines. They fought because they saw you.
We exist today because of the giants who came before us. In many ways, our lives are better than they ever dared to dream. Community is now just a touch of a button away. More doctors than ever specialize in gender-affirming care. Members of our community thrive in every walk of life, from skilled trades to political office. And yet, like those who came before us, we face a group of people who fear what they do not understand—people who have been told by those in power that hating us will somehow solve their problems.
You are part of this story, part of this continuum of resilience and defiance. We see you. We see the trans kid unsure of what the future holds, feeling the weight of time pressing down. We see the trans teen watching their friends kick a soccer ball on a field, dreaming of joining them without the crushing scrutiny of a nation. We see the families, scared and searching for safety, forced to leave their homes in pursuit of a better life. And we see you, dear reader. You are not invisible. You are seen. And you are why we fight.
There are no golden magic words to convince someone struggling to survive in an ever-darkening world to stay with us. That’s not what we’re offering. What we’re offering is our unwavering commitment to fight like hell for you and the people you love. If hope for a brighter future isn’t enough to keep you going, then stay because there are people fighting back—people who refuse to let go. While we can’t stop the ocean from flooding in, we can stand, arms outstretched, catching everyone it tries to sweep away. And when the tides change, as they always do, they’ll see us still standing, as we always have been—arm in arm, just like those who came before us.
What we can tell you is this: the road ahead will not be easy, but the company we keep on this journey is extraordinary. We could not be prouder to stand alongside you. You are why we continue to fight. You are who we fight for. And as long as you are with us, this fight will always be worth it.
Erin Reed (she/her) is a transgender journalist based in Washington, D.C.. She tracks LGBTQ+ legislation around the United States for her subscription newsletter, ErinInTheMorning.com. Her work has been cited by the AP, Reuters, NPR, The Washington Post, and many more major media outlets. You can follow her on twitter and tiktok @ErinInTheMorn.
Zooey Zephyr represents Montana’s 100th House District in the Montana House of Representatives and is the first trans woman to hold public office in the state of Montana. Throughout her time in office, Representative Zephyr has been a fierce advocate for affordable housing, healthcare, public infrastructure, and human rights throughout Montana. Prior to the legislature, Representative Zephyr worked at the University of Montana, where she oversaw the administration of the university’s curriculum approval process. She also worked as a human rights activist, helping people file discrimination claims, drafting human rights policies for the city of Missoula, and working as a de-escalator at protests to ensure protester safety. When the Legislature is not in session, Representative Zephyr works with people across Montana, the nation, and the world to help them get involved in the fight for progressive policies.