Meaning of "the scales begin to tip"

Question

I could not find the meaning of "the scales begin to tip" in online dictionaries.

Here is the sentence:

"Every era has a moment when the scales begin to tip." The next sentence is "That moment has come for the world's transgenders".

Could you please rephrase the first sentence?

Answer 1

Tip the scales, also tip the balance:

• to cause a change, esp. in making something more likely to happen.

  • She says the city's reputation helped tip the scales/balance when the company was deciding whether to move the factory. (Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms Copyright.)

The reference is to scales which may measure weight (metaphorically) in favour of something.

• Every era has a moment when things begin to change.