In 1923, Emma Goldman wrote to Magnus Hirschfeld concerning a profile of Louise Michel in Hirschfeld's Jahrbuch für sexuelle Zwischenstufen in which it had been argued by a contributer that Louise Michel had been an Uranian.
Having known Louise Michel personally, Emma Goldman requests from Hirschfeld that he publish her rebuttal of the former article, as she believes it to be mistaken and reliant on a stereotypical view of women.
Of her own beliefs, she writes:
"Before I deal with von Levetzow's article, permit me to say this: It is not prejudice against homosexuality or the aversion to homosexuals which prompts me to point out the errors in the claim of the author. If Louise Michel had ever demonstrated homosexual traits to those who knew and loved her, I should be the last person to attempt to clear her from the "stigma". [...]
Years ago, when I knew nothing at all about sex psychology and when my only acquaintance with homosexuals were some of the women I had met in prison where I was incarcerated for my political opinions, I came out in defense of Oscar Wilde. As an Anarchist, my place has ever been with the persecuted. I saw in the persecution and prosecution of Oscar Wilde reflected the cruel injustice and hypocrisy of the very society which sent him to his doom. Hence my defense of him.
Later, I went to Europe, and there came upon the works of Havelock Ellis, Krafft Ebbing, Carpenter, and many others which made me see the crime against Oscar Wilde and his kind, this time, in a more glaring light. From that time on I used my pen and voice in behalf of those whom nature, herself, has destined to be different in their sex psychology and needs. Your works, Dear Doctor, have helped me much in shedding light on the very complex question of sex psychology, and in humanising the attitude of people who came to hear me.
From this, your readers will see that I have no prejudice whatever, or the least antipathy, to homosexuals. Quite to the contrary. I have among my friends men and women either complete Urnings or Bi-Sexuals. I have found them far above the average in intelligence, ability, sensitiveness and charm. I feel deeply with them, because I know that their sufferings are greater and more complex than that of most people. There is, however, one predominant tendency among homosexuals which I must oppose. It is their attempt to claim every outstanding personality for their creed, to ascribe to them traits and characteristics inherent in themselves."
After debunking the former article, she goes on to say:
"You will agree with me, I am sure, that neither the question of homosexuality or of the homosexuals can gain anything by a misstatement of facts."
The same can be said for the trans cause. This letter, which can be read in its entirety here, is the source of a quote which is often mistranslated (across time, not languages) when used in isolation. It is often claimed that where Goldman writes "I have among my friends men and women either complete Urnings or Bi-Sexuals" one should read "I have many friends who are trans."
While Uranians (and even more so Urningen, the German equivalent) most certainly referred to a group of people that included people we would call trans today, we can see from the context that that's not what Goldman is referring to.
Due to the lack of strong distinctions between (in modern terms) gay and trans people at that time, it's entirely possible that among the friends she was referring to there were trans people. It is however misleading -- both in general, but particularly in context -- to translate "Urnings" or "Uranians" as "transgender". It can of course also be misleading to translate it as "gay" without any caveats, but in the context of this letter, it is not significantly so.
By the 1920s, "bisexual" also tended to mean the same thing it does today. Had the letter been from the turn of the century, I would be inclined to believe she meant intersex people, but both the dating and the context indicates that she means "bisexual" in the modern sense.
Had Goldman meant to reference trans people specifically, the word "transsexual" would not have been available to her yet (Hirschfeld coins it later the same year), but she would likely have used the word "transvestite" (as Hirschfeld did prior to coming up with "transsexualismus").
Now do I find it likely that Emma Goldman supported the trans people of her time? Most certainly. She could hardly be as admiring of Hirschfeld as she plainly is in this letter without being pro trans. That quote is not the slam dunk some people treat it as, however.
Frankly, throwing that quote around like that is just ammo for TERFs, because it enables them to claim that trans people are "usurping" gay history or other such nonsense (as if the two can even be sensibly disentangled).