Long before the acronym "LGBTQ" was standardized, gender non-conformity was a quiet thread running through queer history. In the early 20th century, figures like —a gay Jewish doctor in Berlin—ran the Institute for Sexual Science, which not only advocated for homosexual rights but also performed some of the first modern gender-affirming surgeries. In the United States, the 1969 Stonewall Uprising —the catalyst for the modern gay rights movement—was led by trans women of color, including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera .