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Know Their Names - A Pride Series Day 2
Yesterday, we started something that matters.
We are honoring 12 LGBTQ+ icons whose names should never be forgotten. These names help gave us the rights and freedoms we have today and are still fighting for!
Day 2: Sylvia Rivera.
She made sure people like her, and like me, didn’t get left behind.
Let me tell you who Sylvia Rivera really was.
A Puerto Rican–Venezuelan trans woman. A street kid. A revolutionary.
She was just 11 years old when she started living on the streets of New York, surviving the only way she could. She found chosen family in the drag queens and street queens of Times Square. One of them? Marsha P. Johnson.
At 17, Sylvia joined the Stonewall uprising.
She said she “threw the second Molotov cocktail” because she felt like the revolution had finally come.
One year later, she co-founded STAR with Marsha Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries.
They opened a home for trans youth.
They fed people, sheltered people, protected people.
And nobody gave them a damn dime to do it.
Sylvia stood up to everyone.
The police.
Politicians.
And yes, even the mainstream gay rights movement when it tried to erase trans people like her.
At a 1973 Pride rally, she grabbed the mic and told the crowd:
“Y’all better quiet down.”
They booed.
She spoke anyway.
Later, when trans protections were cut from gay civil rights bills, she stormed City Hall and got arrested for it.
Even while dying of cancer in 2002, Sylvia kept fighting for trans inclusion protesting from her hospital bed.
She died at 50.
Still fighting.
Still teaching.
Sylvia Rivera was intersectionality in motion.
Trans. Latina. Homeless. Poor. Addicted.
And powerful.
Say her name.
Sylvia Rivera.
Because she refused to be erased and we won't let them forget her.
We’re doing this for 12 days.
12 days. 12 names. 12 stories they tried to bury.
Come back tomorrow. Learn. Feel. Share.
Because we will not be erased.
#KnowTheirNames #LGBTQIcons #WeWillNotBeErased #lgbtqhistory
Sylvia Rivera was a Puerto Rican–Venezuelan trans activist who played a crucial role in the LGBTQ+ rights movement, particularly during the late 1960s and 1970s. Her involvement in the Stonewall uprising was a turning point for many marginalized voices within the community. Alongside her close ally Marsha P. Johnson, she co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), which provided vital support to homeless transgender youth. Rivera's passionate speeches and activism brought attention to the struggles that many faced, often being the loud voice at Pride events that called for recognition of trans identities. Her refusal to be silenced during a time when the mainstream gay rights movement sought to overlook the intersectional identities of members like her highlights her commitment to advocacy and social justice. Despite facing immense challenges, including poverty and health issues, Rivera's activism never waned. Even in her final days, she protested for trans rights and inclusion, illustrating her lifelong dedication to the cause. As we recognize her contributions, it's important to remember that the fight for equality is ongoing and that individuals like Sylvia Rivera paved the way for future generations to continue. Let us honor her legacy by ensuring that the voices of marginalized communities are not drowned out and that history remembers their impact.