Author: Caleb Krieg

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SYLVIA RIVERA (1951-2002)

Y’ALL BETTER QUIET DOWN

She was a trans activist and a fighter for Gay Liberation. History has long tried to forget her name but REMEMBER HER NAME for Trans Day of Visibility and onwards. She was there for Stonewall during the riots. She founded S.T.A.R. with Marsha P. Johnson. She dedicated her life to activism and lived in poverty. Gay white men left her and other trans activists behind in the name of gay liberation, but the strides made should be devoted to the trans community. We cannot rest until trans rights are fully recognized and the violence enacted against our trans family members cease. “I will not put up with this shit. I have been beaten. I have had my nose broken. I have been thrown in jail. I have lost my job. I have lost my apartment for gay liberation and you all treat me this way? What the fuck’s wrong with you all? Think about that!” #lgbtqexperiencesusa#transgender #trans #transdayofvisibility#activism #sylviarivera #transwoman#gayliberation #STAR #gay #lgbt

Major! was a very interesting film that contains many details that I’ve never really delved in to discover. One of the more pressing themes of the film involves the prison system. Most of the time spent thinking about the prison system, I’ve only ever noticed it in terms of privatization and the grossly large proportion of people of color incarcerated. One thing that often is overlooked is the presence of trans men and women in the prison system. While there has been more recent exposure through the use of mainstream film and media, like Orange is the New Black, I often forget the concerns and trials that trans POC face in the system from sexual assault to lack of hormone therapy.

Even beyond that, trans people are often placed in assignments that do not fit their identification, and that poses a threat that often leads to violence. Most times, they are even placed in the shu (aka solitary confinement) for their own “safety” which the U.N. identifies as torture when over 15 days.

After the film, I was left wanting to know more about Miss Major and the Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP). I want to know the current state of affairs and more that I can do to ensure proper reform.

I chose this poster specifically because I felt a sense of resistance in its context. Much like what we have learned in class, the LGBTQ+ community has focused on fighting for exposure and equality, and this poster emulates that fervor. I researched a bit about this poster, and it was created during Rudy Giuliani’s mayoral term of NYC. The first poster translates to “Zero cuts to “Single Room Only” housing”, and S.R.O.’s were significantly reduced in funding under Mayor Giuliani where the conditions were repulsive and there was a lack in social workers from the government. Overall, Mayor Giuliani attempted to abolish the presence of the Department of AIDS Services and made numerous budget cuts to government services. I have detailed more information about the resistance that ensued and the condition of S.R.O.’s below.

Resistance

https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/act-activists-resist-new-york-city-mayor-rudy-giuliani-s-aids-policies-1994-95

S.R.O. Cuts & Deficiencies

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/12/nyregion/neighborhood-report-upper-west-side-aids-patients-sro-s-two-west-siders-debate.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/10/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-up-close-aids-patients-sro-s-need-site-caseworkers.html

Poster

http://aep.lib.rochester.edu/node/48970

Memories of when I was working at Lincoln Center in NYC a year ago with my love, @oanabotez. “Bull in a China Shop” was inspired by Mary Woolley’s and Jeannette Marks’ letter and relationship. Mary Woolley was a woman’s suffragette supporter and served as the president of Mount Holyoke College. Nationally, she worked with President Hoover and F.D.R. on topics like women’s rights, pacifism, and the League of Nations. Most notably, she was appointed by Hoover to serve as one of the very few women (if not the only) at the Conference on Reduction and Limitation of Armaments to hopefully counteract Nazi Germany. During all of this time, there was an exchange of letters between her and her partner, Jeanette Marks, which are some of the most beautiful writings I’ve read (https://transcribe.mtholyoke.edu/collections/show/1). LGBTQ+ individuals have always been present in society, you just have to find them. (I also met Gloria Steinem so that was cool too.) #LGBTQexperiencesUSA #LGBT #suffrage #lincolncenter #bullinachinashop #theater #nyc #teamcostumes #feminism

AIDS Memorial Quilt

When our class visited the Special Collections, I was placed with my partner at the table for AIDS and AIDS Remembrance. Of the pieces at the table, the most impactful was the Rochester portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt for the Names Project. The Names Project was a grassroots community artwork where people or communities could submit quilts honoring those who we have lost to AIDS. Rochester has a portion that was made in 1994, and we began to read all of the notes left on the quilt. While some wrote very general responses wishing those we lost eternal peace, others were more direct in referencing specific individuals and the memories associated with them. I quite honestly started to cry seeing some of the responses. One response left by a father telling his son that he will always love him even if he can no longer see him. The AIDS Memorial Quilt was actually on display at the University of Rochester before in April 1994 (http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/aids-remembrance-quilt-resurfaces-after-nearly-23-years-in-basement-219662/), and I believe that the sense of community created by this exhibition is incredibly useful to inspire and enact change. Once you are able to physically see the lives that were affected by AIDS, maybe it would push people to be more open to erasing the stigma around the disease and to fight for a cure.

Inclusion on Campus

While being here at the UofR, I have been exposed to people of many different and unique backgrounds, significantly more than back home in Tennessee. As a first-year, I initially thought that everyone was proportionately represented, but as I grew older and more involved, I realized that I was viewing society here through rose-tinted glasses. From a perspective at the beginning of my college career, I noticed that lack of minority and POC representation in PRIDE network, but since that has improved drastically to a truly inclusive organization. Outside of organizations, I have been in groups of protests and organizing efforts to change the campus climate, and unsurprisingly, these groups have lacked minority and POC inclusion. For instance, I was with the team that organized the push against the university when it came to the Jaeger case, and there was a severe shortage of minority voices in that group when it came to people of color. The issue is that sexual assault is blind to who you are and how you identify. It can happen to anyone, so the scarcity of inclusion of their voices led to a skewed reality of the issue. Luckily, there was a movement within the group once we recognized the flaws, but it unfortunately came too late in the process. The group fell apart. I think this issue occurs a lot to groups where there is a lack of self and group awareness. Those who identify with at least part of a majority identity are unaware of their comfortable nature of being surrounded by like-people, and continue to be blinded from seeking well- rounded representation.

Stonewall Rebellion

I can’t remember the first time that I heard about the Stonewall Rebellion, but I do remember that it was very vague to me. I think most people that have heard of this event aren’t quite aware of the extensive nature, including myself. To be quite honest, I only knew specifically about the progression of violence from coin change to bottles and bricks. I was not aware about how many people were involved and the succession of days that it expanded.

In “Movements and Memory: The Making of the Stonewall Myth” by Elizabeth Armstrong and Suzanna Cage, it was cited: “Papers reported nearly a thousand rioters and several hundred police” and  ” … a second night of rioting started. Activist Dick Leitsch reported a crowd of nearly 2,000 people” (Armstrong and Cage 737). The stunning part about this is that a largely hidden community showed up in the thousands to fight back against a system which oppressed minority individuals. There truly is strength in numbers, and these people were not afraid of repercussions by the government. The other interesting part about this information was that it wasn’t a singular day, but at least two where the second day brought more people. One takeaway from this that could inform current protest is the sheer amount of demonstrators and their measure of determination. When marginalized populations stand tall together, it can actually push change however small or grand it may be.

Marsha P. Johnson

Prior to this class, I actually did not know much about the lives of Marsha P. Johnson nor Sylvia Rivera, but I did see a push within the past four years to remember these two individuals who really did push the gay liberation movement.

The Untorelli Press released a collection of interviews and historical excerpts called Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries: Survival, Revolt, and Queer Antagonist Struggle. Not much was mentioned about Marsha P. Johnson’s early life, but the collection discussed the creation of S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) by Marsha and Sylvia. In “I’m Glad I was in the Stonewall Riot: An Interview with Sylvia Rivera”, Sylvia recounted the riots that she and Marsha experienced, but also mentioned that, “Marsha and I had always sneaked people into our hotel rooms. Marsha and I decided to get a building. We were trying to get away from the Mafia’s control at the bars” (13). This was the start of S.T.A.R., which Marsha did in tangent with Sylvia, with the mission of helping homeless LGBT+ individuals. In “Rapping with a Street Transvestite Revolutionary: An Interview With Marsha P. Johnson”, you get an understanding of Marsha’s life as a hustler on the street and how the gay community regarded “transvestites”. The interview also mentioned the passing of Marsha’s husband where he was shot after going out to buy drugs (25). I unfortunately did not learn much about the span of her life, but the amount of work that she did for S.T.A.R. in helping homelessness in the LGBT+ community is astonishing. She made ends meet by going out at night to sleep with men for money. The hustle was meant to benefit S.T.A.R. and the people it helped keep off the streets. After watching The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, I began to understand the difficulty in the circumstances surrounding her death where it was rumored to be a homicide committed by the mafia, similar to the reason why S.T.A.R. was formed. She will always, however,  be remembered by her accomplishments in helping the Gay Liberation movement and providing a spotlight to the transgender community through her work in S.T.A.R.

Works Cited

Shoulders to Stand On

When I moved to Rochester in 2014, I vaguely remember hearing about the historical presence of the LGBT+ community, but I never inquire more into the claim. Shoulders to Stand On was actually a very enlightening work that helped me understand more about the LGBT+ community here.  The information given about Front Street is particularly interesting because it compared the street to the likes to Bowery of New York City.  After living here for almost four years (with a semester of living in New York City), I haven’t seen anything in the community that has resonated NYC LGBT+ culture. The fact that it was eventually obliterated from the city speaks to the societal pressures placed on the LGBT+ culture. I also was amazed and somewhat proud of the University of Rochester’s role in welcoming gay and lesbian students. Much of the foundation for the Out Alliance, formally known as the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, began on our campus with the Gay Liberation Front.

“Perversity to Diversity”

In “Perversity to Diversity”, Susan Jordan objectively describes a controversial exhibit held in Rush Rhees Library from February 24th to March 27th. There is also a piece by Michele Moore which is her personal experience as a queer woman at the exhibit. The exhibit apparently contained LGBT + paraphernalia deemed too explicit and “shocking”. From Moore’s piece, the most controversial aspect was the depiction of safe sex which included dental dams, rubber gloves, and dildos wrapped with condoms. The exhibit also had a wall which allowed guests to share their personal thoughts. Some of these thoughts were positively reinforcing the LGBT+ community while others were derogatory towards the community.

While it did not mention a year, I utilized the authors to find the resource from which this was published. After googling Susan Jordan, I discovered from the Out Alliance website that she became the editor of Empty Closet in 1989. The Out Alliance Website has archived editions of Empty Closet, so I took a chance and began going through scans of the articles. Since Susan Jordan became the editor in 1989, I began with that year to search for the right edition. Since it is a monthly, publication, I used context clues to help pinpoint the correct month. The two major clues were: “… the exhibit which opened at Rush Rhees Library on Feb. 24” and “The exhibit was scheduled to formally close on Mar. 27th”. From the clues, I searched months in proximity to after February and March due to the past tense. Lo and behold, the article was published on page one in April of 1991 .(http://www.lib.rochester.edu/IN/RBSCP/Databases/Attachments/Closet/1991/1991_APRIL.pdf)