Trans Women and Lesbianism

“But if you like women, why did you transition?” is a question many trans lesbian women hear. Behind this question lies a fundamental misunderstanding: the confusion between who you are and who you love. Gender identity — the deep-seated sense of being a woman, a man, or a non-binary gender — is one thing. Sexual orientation — who you experience romantic and sexual attraction to — is another. They are two independent dimensions of human experience, and understanding them separately is essential to grasp why a trans woman can be a lesbian exactly like a cisgender woman.

This article explores the reality of trans lesbian women: what the data says, how they fit into the history of the LGBTQ+ movement, what challenges they face, and why their existence is not a contradiction, but a natural expression of human diversity.

Sexual orientation and gender identity: two different things

The fundamental principle to start with is simple in its formulation, even if often misunderstood: gender identity is about who you are, sexual orientation is about who you are attracted to. The American Psychological Association (APA) states this explicitly in its guidelines: transgender people, like cisgender people, can be sexually oriented toward men, women, both sexes, or neither, and generally experience their gender identity and sexual orientation as separate phenomena [3].

WPATH, in version 8 of the Standards of Care published in 2022, also reiterates that gender identity and sexual orientation are distinct constructs [4]. A trans woman — that is, a person assigned male at birth but whose gender identity is female — can be attracted to men (heterosexual), to women (lesbian), to people of multiple genders (bisexual or pansexual), or to no one (asexual). Transitioning does not change sexual orientation, just as it does not change for cisgender people.

Yet, in common perception, the idea persists that a person who transitions “toward the feminine” must necessarily be attracted to men. This expectation reflects a rigid and outdated model of sexuality, where gender and desire are mistakenly tied into a single package. The reality is much more nuanced.

What the data says: the sexual orientations of trans women

The numbers disprove any monolithic stereotype. The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS), the largest survey ever conducted on transgender people with 27,715 participants, found that among trans women, 27% identified as lesbian, gay, or same-gender attracted, 20% as bisexual, 19% as straight/heterosexual, 16% as pansexual, 6% as asexual, and 6% as queer [1].

This data shows an extremely diverse distribution. Nearly half of the trans women who participated in the survey identify as lesbian or bisexual — meaning attracted, at least in part, to other women.

A more recent study published in 2023 in BMC Public Health by Reisner and colleagues, based on a U.S. national probability sample, confirmed this diversity. Among transgender people as a whole, the most frequently reported sexual identities were “bisexual” (18.9%), “queer” (18.1%), and “heterosexual” (17.6%). 57.1% of trans women reported attraction to three or more genders [2]. These results highlight how the sexuality of trans people is profoundly varied and cannot be reduced to rigid categories.

Trans women in the history of the LGBTQ+ movement

Trans women did not arrive “later” in the LGBTQ+ movement. They have been its protagonists from the very beginning — and have often paid the highest price.

Stonewall and the roots of liberation

On the night of June 28, 1969, when the police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York, among the first people to resist were trans women, drag queens, and gender non-conforming people, largely Black and Latina. Marsha P. Johnson, a Black activist described as a drag queen and trans woman, and Sylvia Rivera, a 17-year-old Latina transgender activist, were among the most visible figures of the uprising [6]. As documented by the Smithsonian Institution, Rivera later recounted throwing the second Molotov cocktail of the riot and not returning home for six consecutive nights [6].

After Stonewall, Johnson and Rivera founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an organization that offered shelter and support to homeless trans women. But both clashed with the exclusion of the mainstream gay community: the Gay Activists Alliance systematically refused to recognize the role of transgender people — mostly people of color — in the uprising that had given birth to the movement itself.

Trans women in lesbian spaces: a historical presence

The history of lesbian spaces is also intertwined with that of trans women. Long before the debate on inclusion became a public issue, trans lesbian women actively participated in the life of the lesbian community. A 2016 study published in affilia documented the experiences of butch (masculine) trans women in the lesbian community, showing how many of them found a sense of belonging and recognition of their female identity and sexual orientation in those spaces [11].

The debate on inclusion and exclusion

Despite this shared history, trans lesbian women still face significant resistance within some lesbian and feminist spaces. The debate, which has been particularly heated in recent years, deserves to be understood in its various positions.

The exclusionary arguments

Some voices, often associated with so-called trans-exclusionary radical feminism, argue that lesbianism is defined by attraction to the “female biological sex” and that the inclusion of trans women in lesbian spaces constitutes a form of “lesbian erasure.” In 2019, the British group Get the L Out crashed London Pride with signs claiming that trans activism “erases lesbians.”

Why these arguments don’t hold up

These positions are based on a rigid and biologically simplistic definition of “woman” that reflects neither the complexity of human biology nor the current scientific consensus. As documented in the article on trans women are women, gender identity has solid neurobiological foundations. Defining lesbianism exclusively based on chromosomes or genital anatomy would mean also excluding intersex cisgender women, women who have undergone surgery, or menopausal women — a perspective that no reasonable definition of lesbianism has ever contemplated.

Major LGBTQ+ organizations — from ILGA-Europe to the National Center for Transgender Equality — fully recognize trans lesbian women. As the National Center for Transgender Equality wrote on the occasion of Lesbian Visibility Week: “Trans lesbian women are part of the lesbian community and always have been.”

A study on online dynamics

A research study published in 2022 in Women’s Studies International Forum analyzed the discourses of trans inclusion and exclusion in a queer women’s online community. The study identified that the main argumentative strategies in favor of inclusion rely on broad and scientifically grounded definitions of “woman” and “lesbian,” while exclusionary positions are often based on hypothetical imaginaries about trans women’s bodies, disconnected from the reality of their experiences [10].

Dating as a trans lesbian woman

While the theoretical debate might seem abstract, the daily life of trans lesbian women is made up of very concrete challenges, especially in the dating world.

The disclosure issue

One of the most complex decisions for a trans lesbian woman is when and how to disclose her past to a potential partner. The fear of rejection, hostile reactions, or even violence accompanies every interaction. Dating apps, while offering the possibility to indicate one’s gender identity, expose trans women to fetishization, offensive comments, and rejections based on prejudice rather than real compatibility.

The data on rejection

The 2019 study by Blair and Hoskin, published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, captured the extent of exclusion: 87.5% of the sample (which included heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer people) stated they would not consider dating a trans person [5]. Heterosexual cisgender people were the most prone to exclusion, but even among cisgender lesbian women, a significant percentage expressed reservations.

These numbers, however, do not tell the whole story. Exclusion from dating often reflects internalized prejudices and a lack of information, rather than a real incompatibility. Many cisgender lesbian women who know and date trans women attest to entirely normal relationships, based on mutual attraction, intimacy, and respect.

Beyond rejection: real relationships

Trans lesbian women build meaningful and lasting relationships every day. Research on the quality of transgender people’s romantic relationships shows that when they live in accepting environments and have access to adequate support, trans people report relationship satisfaction levels comparable to those of the cisgender population. The key, as with any couple, is communication, mutual respect, and authenticity.

The Italian context

In Italy, the topic of trans lesbian women fits into a cultural landscape with its own specificities.

Data and research

The 2023 ISTAT-UNAR survey on employment discrimination against LGBT+ people documented that 26% of people in civil unions who identify as homosexual or bisexual consider their sexual orientation a disadvantage at work [12]. For trans people, the situation is even more complex: gender identity overlaps with sexual orientation, creating a condition of multiple discrimination.

The 2022 Inclusion4All report, specific to Italy, highlighted that trans, intersex, and non-binary people face largely unprepared work environments: many hide their identity for fear of negative consequences, and human resources professionals have limited knowledge of their needs [9].

At the European level, the 2019 FRA survey — the largest ever conducted on LGBTI people in Europe with almost 140,000 participants — found that 55% of trans people had experienced discrimination in at least one area of life in the previous 12 months, and 34% had experienced physical or sexual attacks in the previous five years [8]. TGEU’s (Transgender Europe) analysis of this data confirmed that trans women experience the highest levels of harassment and violence among all surveyed groups [7].

Spaces and communities

Major Italian cities — Milan, Rome, Bologna, Turin — offer LGBTQ+ spaces that are generally inclusive of trans women. Associations like MIT (Movimento Identità Trans), active since 1982, and Arcigay and Arcilesbica clubs in many cities provide reference points for trans lesbian women looking for community and support. However, outside major urban centers, dedicated spaces are rare, and isolation remains a significant challenge.

Italy, despite having recognized the right to legal gender change as early as 1982 with Law 164, still does not have a law against homotransphobia (the Zan Bill was rejected by the Senate in 2021), leaving trans lesbian women particularly exposed to multiple discrimination based on both gender identity and sexual orientation.

Community and support: you are not alone

For trans lesbian women, finding a community can make a huge difference. Knowing you are not alone, that you are not an exception or a paradox, but part of a shared experience with thousands of other women, is a powerful protective factor for mental health and well-being.

Online communities have played a fundamental role in this regard. Forums, social media groups, and dedicated servers allow trans lesbian women to share experiences, advice, and mutual support, overcoming geographic barriers that can be significant in a country like Italy.

Internationally, the visibility of trans lesbian women has grown enormously in recent years. Public figures, activists, artists, and trans lesbian writers contribute to normalizing an experience that for too long has been rendered invisible or presented as impossible.

A reality, not a contradiction

Being a trans woman and a lesbian is not a contradiction. It is the natural consequence of the fact that gender identity and sexual orientation are independent dimensions [3][4]. A trans woman who loves women is a lesbian for the same reason a cisgender woman is: because she is a woman attracted to other women.

Scientific data confirms that a significant percentage of trans women identify as lesbian or bisexual [1][2]. The history of the LGBTQ+ movement shows that trans lesbian women have been its protagonists since the beginning [6]. Major medical and scientific organizations recognize the independence between gender identity and sexual orientation.

What remains to be done is to continue building spaces — physical and cultural — where trans lesbian women can live openly, love freely, and participate fully in community life. Not as tolerated guests, but as an integral part of it. Because they always have been.