#SHAREOURHISTORY: Sylvia Rivera
Rivera had a defiant attitude towards labels and was known for being a confounding figure for many in the mainstream gay liberation movement. This was due to her diverse and complex background: She was poor, transgender, a drag queen, Latin-American, former sex-worker and experienced addiction, incarceration and homelessness. This is why she not only fought for LGBT+ rights, but was also passionate in emphasizing racial, economic and criminal justice issues within her activism.
Rivera was one of the pivotal activists who ensured the ‘’T’’ in LGBTQ. So far, she’s the only transgender person featured in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Museum.