Always use a person’s current name and pronouns, even when discussing their past.
The push for gender-neutral pronouns (they/them/ze) and inclusive language originated within trans and non-binary circles and has since permeated mainstream corporate and social environments.
Historically, lesbian culture and transmasculine culture have been deeply intertwined. Many butch lesbians of the 1970s and 80s lived on a spectrum that today might be described as non-binary or trans. The discomfort arises now as lines are drawn. Some lesbians mourn the "loss" of butch icons who transitioned to male, while trans men argue they were never lesbians to begin with.