From criminal cross-dressing laws to bans on open military service, trans people have long faced discrimination.

Paisley Currah, a political science professor at the City University of New York, said conservatives go after transgender people in part because they make up such a small portion of the population.

People rally for transgender rights, led by the advocacy group Trans Up Front Illinois, at Federal Plaza on March 30, 2025. Sunday’s protest took place one day before Trans Day of Visibility.