Like most families, the transgender family has many different needs. Until recently, transsexual needs determined the direction and shape of our family. Certainly, transsexualism is the most dramatic and far-reaching transgender process. Transsexuals grab the attention of straight society in a way closeted crossdressing could never do. And, you cannot be a closet transsexual.
Transsexuals are on the front line.
Transsexuals are our standard-bearers. But we are a much more diverse family. Underneath the sequins and fierce makeup, queens identify as gay men, and want you to know they're gay men. They're not trying to pass. The transgender mainstream is often uncomfortable with them, just as the gay mainstream often is.