S.T.A.R by Various
A veteran of the Stonewall Inn Uprising of 1969, Sylvia Rivera dedicated her life to fighting the exclusion of transgender people from both the wider gay liberation movement and society as a whole. Her pioneering work in this field was decades ahead of the curve.
Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera at the Pride March, 1973 (1973-04-24) by Leonard FinkThe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
Orphaned at an early age, Rivera's had a tough childhood and ended up living on the streets by age 11. It was here she met Marsha P. Johnson, a self-identified drag queen and activist who took Rivera under her wing. Let's take a look at five sites that were significant to Rivera.
3D model of the Stonewall Inn (2019-05-16) by CyArkCyArk
1. The Stonewall Inn
This was the site of the infamous riots of 1969. Both Rivera and Johnson are widely credited with being instrumental in the riots which kickstarted the gay rights movement in the US. Rivera was just 17 at the time but it was the beginning of a life of activism.
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2. Tarrytown Music Hall
Johnson and Rivera started the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) in 1971. But when Rivera left Manhattan for a while in 1973, relocating to Tarrytown, here is where she would begin to host drag shows at the Tarrytown Music Hall.
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3. Christopher Street Docks
For a large part of her life, Rivera battled substance abuse issues and lived among the homeless gay community around the Christopher Street Docks. It was her experiences here that refocused her attention on advocating for those that mainstream society had left behind.
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4. Metropolitan Community Church
Rivera was an active member of the Metropolitan Community Church of New York, an LGBT Christian Church, where she ministered through the food pantry. The MCC Food Pantry has now been renamed in her honour.
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5. Sylvia Rivera Way
Sylvia Rivera was a trailblazing activist, fighting for causes the rest of the world was to largely ignore for decades. It's only in the years since her death in 2002 that her legacy has been fully reappraised and understood, with the city of New York renaming a street after her.
S.T.A.R by Various
Discover more trans women who made history.
