5 Trans Activists Who Transformed The World

Where we came from, where we are going.
From: NewNowNext

As we continue the fight for visibility and equality, it’s important to honor those who blazed a trail for the rest of us to follow.

So, we pay tribute to five trans activists who showed us how its done.

1

Sylvia Rivera

A trans woman whose activism pre-dated Stonewall, Rivera marched in the original Christopher Street Liberation Day March and worked to get New York City’s first gay-rights bill Bill passed.Later, she and Marsha P. Johnson co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), fighting for the rights of this disenfranchised community.

Called the “conscience” of the LGBT community, Rivera was arrested countless times at demonstrations for political causes like Soul Force, the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization, and the NYC Homeless Coalition, in addition to protests on behalf of transgender rights.

She fought tireless to ensure that drag queens, trans men and women and other non-gender-conforming people wouldn’t be thrown under the bus by assimilationist gays looking for a quick fix.

In her later years, Rivera became an active in the Metropolitan Community Church, directing its food-service and trans-outreach programs. She received lifetime achievement awards from numerous groups and, in 2000, was invited to speak at World Pride in Rome.

Even on her deathbed in 2002, Rivera fought for her community—meeting with members of the Empire State Pride Agenda to push for the inclusion of trans rights in the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination bill facing the state Legislature.

Her legacy continues with the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which protects minority and low-income members of the trans community from discrimination and violence.