Why Are Some Lesbian Women Fighting Against Trans Rights?

A critical look inside our own community

In recent years, the LGBTQIA+ community has made significant progress toward greater visibility, inclusion, and equality. But troubling tensions have surfaced within our own ranks—particularly among some lesbian women who have increasingly voiced opposition to the rights of transgender people, especially trans women.

This internal rift was starkly illustrated in the UK this month, where a controversial group of self-identified “gender-critical” lesbians launched a campaign opposing trans inclusion in women’s spaces. These actions, often backed by the rhetoric of “protecting women’s rights,” raise difficult but necessary questions. Why are some lesbians aligning with movements that ultimately echo anti-LGBTQIA+ talking points? And what does this mean for the future of a united queer community?

The transphobia behind “Only women can give birth”

One of the most common refrains from gender-critical activists is the claim that “only women can give birth.” At face value, this may seem biologically accurate, but its implications are far more harmful than many acknowledge.

This statement not only excludes trans men and non-binary people who can and do give birth—it also carries a deeply offensive undertone: that a woman’s worth is tied to her reproductive capacity. By this logic, cisgender women who are infertile, post-menopausal, or choose not to have children are somehow “less” of a woman. The reductive message is clear: womanhood is reduced to biology, erasing the diversity and complexity of our lived experiences.

Is that really the feminist solidarity we want to promote?

A history of solidarity, now at risk

The LGBTQIA+ movement has always been about coalition. Lesbians, gay men, trans people, and others in the queer community have fought side by side for decades—from Stonewall to marriage equality. So how did we get here, where some lesbians now attend anti-trans rallies under banners that claim to protect women, but actively exclude and erase others?

Much of it stems from a fear-based narrative pushed by certain media outlets and political actors who benefit from dividing us. Trans women are wrongly portrayed as threats in women’s spaces, while trans men and non-binary people are often ignored altogether. These divisions are weaponized to distract from broader systemic inequalities—against all of us.

Lesbians and trans women are not opponents

We must resist the urge to create hierarchies of legitimacy within our community. Trans women are women. Full stop. Just as lesbian women have fought for the right to define their identities and relationships on their own terms, trans people must be afforded the same dignity and autonomy.

To stand for lesbian rights but against trans rights is to misunderstand the foundations of queer liberation. Our fight has always been against rigid norms that define people by their bodies, gender roles, or reproductive functions. It is about freedom, not exclusion.

What kind of community do we want to be?

We are at a crossroads. The path forward isn’t always easy, but one thing is clear: queer solidarity cannot be conditional. A lesbian identity rooted in exclusion is not feminism—it is a distortion of the values our movement was built upon.

To truly protect women, we must include all women. That means cis, trans, fertile, infertile, young, old, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, queer, and everything in between.

Let’s remember: the power of our community has always come from its diversity. Let’s not forget that now.

Photo : Ted Eytan