Terms like "yas," "spill the tea," "shade," and "read" originated in drag and trans ballroom scenes. Today, these phrases are used globally, disconnected from their radical origins but proving the enduring influence of trans/queer subculture.
Maya walked up to the wall, her fingers tracing a sketch of herself from 1984 that Leo had reimagined based on her stories. She turned to the room, her eyes wet.
Human Rights Campaign. (2019). The State of the LGBTQ Community in 2019 . HRC Foundation.
No honest article about this topic can ignore the internal fractures. In recent years, a small but vocal minority of lesbians and gay men (often labeled "TERFs" - Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists, though many are not radical feminists) have advocated for separating the "T" from the "LGB."
