For the same reason it’s a problem when women are excluded from things that are “men-only”.

Because all the surgeries in the world don’t help if we do not treat and recognize transgender people as the gender that they ARE and not the gender that we force them to be.

Because one in, what, six women will be sexually assaulted in our lives, but one in TWO transgender folks will be. Also: “In the NCAVP 2009 report on hate violence, 50 percent of people who died in violent hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people were transgender women.” https://www.ovc.gov/pubs/forge/sexual_numbers.html

Because trans women who are abused often can’t get help, just like us.

Because we help perpetuate this violence by continuing to other trans women instead of normalizing trans women.

Because there’s nothing we go through that trans women don’t go through worse. Because when it comes to oppression, you punch UP, not down.