Sylvia Rivera, 1951 to 2002
This project is named for civil rights pioneer Sylvia Rivera. A veteran of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, Sylvia was a tireless advocate for all those who have been marginalized as the “gay rights” movement has mainstreamed. Sylvia fought hard against the exclusion of transgender people from the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act in New York, and was a loud and persistent voice for the rights of people of color and low-income queers and trans people. This project works to continue Sylvia’s work by centralizing issues of systemic poverty and racism, and prioritizing the struggles of queer and trans people who face the most severe and multi-faceted discrimination. Please click on the links on this page to hear more about Sylvia in her own words and the words of those who admired her.
More on the life of Sylvia Rivera
- Ten Posts for Sylvia Rivera’s Ten Year Memorial by SRLP’s Reina Gossett
- A Woman for Her Time by Riki Wilchins
- Leslie Feinberg Interviews Sylvia Rivera
- Wikipedia entry for Sylvia Rivera
