Recently, there have been calls from both trans and LGB people to take the T out of LGBT. While trans writers such as Katie Glover and Nicola Jane Chase have argued for the move, there has also been a controversial Change.org petition entitled ‘Drop the T’ headed up by a group of gay and bisexual men and women. The crux of the problem rests in the fact that sexual orientation is a very different matter to gender identification – as is commonly expressed, “sexual orientation is who you go to bed with, gender is who you wake up as”. Critics argue that lumping the two together as LGBT or even LGBTI, LGBTQ and so on, just enhances confusion, misidentification and stereotyping. But is this a reason to tear apart a long-standing and historically effective partnership?

When I asked trans woman and activist Charlie Craggs her thoughts, she said: ‘Initially I thought that perhaps if the T is removed from LGBT then being transgender will be recognised more for what it is. If people see trans women in the LGBT community, they just assume its an extension of that. They assume we’re gay guys who wear dresses. And you can be a gay guy who wears a dress, it can be linked but its not always, not by default.’

The assumption of a link between sexuality and gender has historically been problematic. In Turkey and Iran, many gay men have been forced to change their gender as a so-called “cure” for homosexuality. Even in the UK, until a few years ago, if you wanted to transition, you had to identify as a gay man. Craggs tells us that “even now some doctors are ignorant – it’s much easier to transition through the NHS as a transwoman if your story fits a more gender conforming narrative, like being attracted to guys.” This is also touched upon in the recent government transgender equality enquiry which shows many ways that the NHS are letting down trans people.

There currently exist no conclusive figures on how many trans people actually are gay, many argue that it’s the same statistic as the wider population, while others argue it is slightly higher. It’s also interesting that transitioning itself can have an impact on your sexuality. While there may be overlap at times, it’s important to remember that being LGB and being transgender are very different things. As trans woman and civil servant, Jacqui Gavin says: “what we present as and what we go through as different groups of people is slightly different- to be transgender, you almost have to strip yourself naked in front of everybody – where as LGB you can keep that slightly hidden.” Transgender and LGB narratives are different, they look different and they feel different.

“Thinking about it really, we’re probably stronger as a unit. It’s the same people bullying us in school, it’s the same people abusing us in the streets and it’s the same people killing us essentially.” – Charlie Craggs

It’s easy to see why it's an affront to LGB or trans people when some people wrongly assume that being trans is simply an extension of being gay. But Gavin argues that if this difference is affirmed, it doesn’t need to divide the LGBT community: ‘Even if you’re a gay man and you look quite effeminate, if somebody turns round and says, “Don’t you think you might be trans?”, the individual who is the gay man can say, “Well actually no, I may be this way but my gender identity is fixed, my sexual orientation however is this way.” In the end, Gavin argues that it’s about education and reinforcing the message so that people recognise the inherent differences within the LGBT community, alongside the fact that they stand as one united force.

Craggs later comes to agree with this, concluding that, “thinking about it really, we’re probably stronger as a unit. It’s the same people bullying us in school, it’s the same people abusing us in the streets and it’s the same people killing us essentially.”

And at a time where transgender murder rates are historically high, maybe an LGBT union is more important than ever. This point is also expressed by Human Rights President, Chad Griffin in his response to the ‘Drop the T’ campaign which he describes as “univocally wrong”. He expresses the idea that “the bullies at school aren’t just harassing the gay kids, they’re harassing the transgender kids.”

It’s also the same bullies and bigots that discriminate against both LGB and T. Journalist, presenter and trans campaigner Paris Lees agrees. ‘That’s really true, there’s people out there, they don’t make a differentiation between whether you’re gay or trans, you’re just a queer to them.’ Those who discriminate are often also those who don’t or won’t differentiate, and dropping the T from LGBT is unlikely to change that fact.

Lees is also of the view that dropping the T would be ridiculous. “Of course we have to remember that we all have unique experiences of walking through this world but at the same time, for me – although everybody’s experience of it is different – whether you’re disabled, whether you’re black, whether you’re mentally ill, whether you’re gay, whether you're trans, your story is unique but ultimately we’re all fighting prejudice, we’re all fighting discrimination and we’re all being treated differently because we are seen to be ‘other’”.

Systemic injustice and social inequality occurs on so many levels to so many different sorts of people, that it’s like a dragon with many heads. But ultimately, Paris argues that, ‘if marginalised people of various different backgrounds were to come together and actually fight oppression and fight conformity, then that could only really be a good thing, while also respecting our individual struggles within that. I want to see more people coming together of all different persuasions to campaign for equality.”

The reason that Stonewall decided to become trans inclusive in February 2015 is because they said ‘we believe we’re stronger together’, and if you look at it historically, the way barriers are broken down is through unity, by pulling together. Back in 1969, it was a transgender woman, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, who was a leader in the Stonewall riots and had her head struck and jaw broken by police as a result. Even in the past couple of years, the way that LGB people have aided the trans cause in the public sphere has been unprecedented.

“Those who discriminate are often also those who don’t or won’t differentiate, and dropping the T from LGBT is unlikely to change that fact”

It was a gay man, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who put a trans person in Eastenders. It was a gay man, Elliot Kerrigan, who wrote the UK’s first trans-focused sitcom, Boy Meets Girl. Owen Jones, one of the pivotal people writing about and pushing for trans equality, is gay. Lees maintains that “this wouldn’t be happening if the gay community wasn’t welcoming of trans people, so I say we take that because they’re in a position to help us up the ladder that they’ve fought and struggled so hard for.”

At a time where trans people account for less than one per cent of the population and face higher levels of violence and discrimination than any, the support and understanding of the LGB community is vital. Lees herself maintains that LGB allies have been seminal in her career. “The first magazine that I was ever published in was Diva magazine which is a lesbian magazine. My first full time job in journalism was assistant editor of Gay Times magazine. I’m working at Attitude at the moment. I wouldn’t have had the career that I’ve had without the gay community embracing me really.’ The LGBT community helps transgender people at every level, permeating both political and personal struggles. As Gavin says, “to be able to stand alongside my gay brothers, my lesbian sisters, my bisexual brothers or sisters, I feel a sense of belonging and a sense of pride.”

The ‘Drop the T’ campaign has been called an ‘outrageous and destructive idea’ and its not hard to see why. The LGBT community is more than just a mish-mash of oppressed people, it’s welcoming and diverse community which promotes equality, pride and love, but crucially it’s a community which, somewhere along the line, saves lives. Differences within the community are why a separate L,G,B and T exists and those should not be ignored, however, as Craggs confirms: ‘Yes we’re different, but we can be different and together because really, we’re together in our difference.’