A strong wave of trans activism emerged in the 90s, built on zines, community organizing and protest. Groups like Transexual Menace challenged media depictions and fought for inclusion in LGB rights movements. Anti-discrimination laws in some cities and states that included “gender identity” began to crop up. Legal advocacy grew around workplace rights and prison conditions. A rise of media visibility brought national attention to trans lives, often through narratives of violence and tragedy. Trans Studies emerged as a field and incorporated growing critiques of the medical-industrial complex. Tensions between assimilationist LGB politics and more radical queer and trans liberation grew.
