Transgender people — and their struggle to fit in at school, at the doctor’s office, at work and with their families — are more visible than ever. Theirs is the next battle for civil rights, as evidenced earlier this year when state lawmakers turned down a plea to let them change their birth certificates with a doctor’s note.

During the next few months, The Denver Post will introduce you to transgender Coloradans whose unique journeys are both heartbreaking and inspiring.

Families struggling to raise transgender children in a world that doesn’t understand them. Devout Christians who learned to make room in their faith for a transgender child. Families torn apart because of one person’s transition. An older generation of transgender people who locked their true identity in a vault until retirement. Trans teenagers ready to change the world’s perception of them, influencing school policy on bathrooms and graduation gowns, and creating a video to educate their teachers about how to treat trans students.

The conversation about gender identity is happening now.