Sylvia Rivera was a pioneering transgender activist and one of the key figures in the early LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States. Born in 1951, she was of Puerto Rican and Venezuelan descent and faced numerous challenges as a transgender woman of color. Rivera is best known for her involvement in the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which are often credited with sparking the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Along with her close friend Marsha P. Johnson, Rivera co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) in 1970, an organization dedicated to advocating for the rights of homeless transgender individuals, sex workers, and those marginalized by both society and the LGBTQ+ community.
Rivera’s activism went beyond the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, as she was deeply committed to the intersectionality of race, gender, and class. Despite facing resistance from some within the mainstream gay rights movement, which at times excluded transgender and working-class people, Rivera was unapologetically vocal about the importance of including all marginalized groups in the struggle for equality. Her work focused on ensuring that the voices of trans and gender-nonconforming people, especially those of color, were heard and that their unique struggles were acknowledged. Although she faced discrimination within the LGBTQ+ movement itself, Sylvia Rivera’s contributions remain foundational to the ongoing fight for transgender rights and social justice.
