This linguistic shift has permanently altered LGBTQ culture. It has forced a reckoning within the gay and lesbian communities about binary thinking. Lesbian spaces, for instance, have had to confront whether they are defined by "female-born" bodies or by identity, leading to the inclusive "trans-inclusive feminist" movement.

Transgender individuals have been the primary architects of much of the language and aesthetics used in LGBTQ+ culture today.

: Terms like "shemale" or "tranny" are often viewed as degrading because they prioritize sexualization over identity.