The LGBTQ culture of the 1960s was not the corporate-sponsored, suburban-friendly culture of today. It was a culture of bars, alleys, and late-night streets. Within that space, the most visible and most targeted individuals were not closeted businessmen or discreet lesbians; they were the "street queens"—trans women and drag queens who lived their lives openly, defying gender norms at immense personal risk.
As the culture wars rage on, the only viable path forward for the LGBTQ community is radical solidarity. To drop the T is to deny history. To embrace the T is to embrace the future.
On the other hand, the political and media landscape is weaponizing trans identity as a wedge issue to dismantle the broader LGBTQ coalition. The "LGB without the T" groups are amplified by conservative think tanks, attempting to fracture the community.
To speak of LGBTQ culture without centering transgender people is like speaking of a forest without acknowledging the roots. While gay and lesbian rights have often been the "mainstream" face of the movement, trans people—particularly trans women of color—have historically been the catalysts, the frontline fighters, and often, the barometers for how society treats the most vulnerable among us.