1. One new fact that I learned about the Stonewall Riots was the importance of the location. I had known it was in New York City, of course, but I hadn’t consciously realized that it was on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village. I also hadn’t known how important Greenwich’s position as a “gayborhood” was in drawing crowds of activists and driving the interest of nearby residents (and reporters) to the protests. I’d heard of the Christopher Street Riots, but had never connected them to Stonewall (in my defense, I’ve lived in this state my whole life but I’ve never been to New York City). This, to me, emphasizes the importance of physical community presence for today’s LGBT activists and really just for gay people in general. These social and political bonds are crucial for the continued health and progress of the LGBT+ rights movement.
2. Prior to class, I knew Sylvia Rivera was a trans activist active from the 1960s on. I had known about some of her work in vague terms, and usually in connection to Marsha P. Johnson. Through the readings I was reminded of her involvement with not only STAR but the Gay Liberation Front and Young Lords as well. I also didn’t know that Sylvia Rivera co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, which was mentioned in the interview with Marsha P. Johnson we were assigned for this week.
Sylvia Rivera left home as a child after her mother’s suicide, when faced with the choice of her grandmother’s intolerance or life on the street. She worked as a prostitute, and was involved in the Stonewall Riots. The next year, she helped get STAR going to help street people and “anybody that needed help at that time” (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries. Survival, Revolt, and Queer Antagonist Struggle 13). Her activism intersected with several other empowerment and activist groups and movements over the years.