historicwomen:Sylvia Rivera 1951- 2002 Sylvia Rivera was an activist for LGBT rights, striving espec
historicwomen: Sylvia Rivera 1951- 2002 Sylvia Rivera was an activist for LGBT rights, striving especially for trans inclusion in the movement. Sylvia was a veteran in the Stonewall Uprising. She was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front, the Gay Activists Alliance and STAR. Sylvia, like many in the transgender community overcame tremendous roadblocks on her way to activism. She was orphaned early in life, and started living on the streets with a community of drag-queens at the age of eleven. Though Sylvia spent much of her life living on the street and struggling with substance abuse, she never stopped doing all she could for LGBT rights. She worked especially for those excluded by the mainstream gay rights movement. The last five years of her life was where Sylvia made the greatest impact. She gave speeches concerning the Stonewall Uprising, appeared on documentaries and was even dubbed the Rosa Parks of the modern LGBT movement. Sylvia died at 50 of liver cancer and is still a respected founder of the modern LGBT movement. -- source link
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