One of the most interesting points addressed in the article was the significance of who (in the queer community) was present for the Stonewall rebellion. Armstrong and Crage write, \u201cIn contrast to Compton\u2019s, those on the scene included both marginalized and more privileged elements of the homosexual community\u201d (737). This is significant because it was these more privileged activists that had the capacity to draw media attention and resources needed to ensure the commemoration of the event. In contrast, the queer activists in San Francisco \u2013 who comprised \u201cwhite, middle-class, gender-normative older men\u201d (Armstrong & Crage, 733) \u2013 were hardly a part of the Compton\u2019s Cafeteria rebellion and refused to support the patrons because their behavior \u201cthreatened homophile accommodation with the police\u201d (Armstrong & Crage, 733). This is important to keep in mind in contemporary LGBTQ+ activism and organizing: Privilege has a long history of confounding and hindering progress \u2013 even within the LGBTQ+ community \u2013 and we should be sure to use whatever privilege we have to support marginalized groups within our broader community.<\/p>\n
Prior to these readings, I shamefully knew nothing about Marsha Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Sylvia Rivera was raised by her grandmother from an early age after her mother committed suicide and tried to kill her as well (Rivera, 40). The prejudice she experienced in these early years contributed to her choice to move out on her own at the age of ten. Later that decade, she came out as a drag queen (Rivera, 12). She\u2019s received credit for escalating the Stonewall protest into a riot by throwing the first beer bottle on the night of June 28, 1969 (Brink), a riot she was excited to be a part of because it distinctly gave her the notion that \u201cthe revolution is here\u201d (Rivera, 14). She continued to have significant influence in transgender activism and was crucial in the formation of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) (Rivera, 13). She continued to address the lack of transgender representation and rights throughout her life, notably in her critique of the Gay Liberation Front\u2019s choices to ignore transgender people in her speech, \u201cY\u2019all Better Quiet Down\u201d (Rivera, 30).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of the most interesting points addressed in the article was the significance of who (in the queer community) was present for the Stonewall rebellion. Armstrong and Crage write, \u201cIn contrast to Compton\u2019s, those on the scene included both marginalized and more privileged elements of the homosexual community\u201d (737). This is significant because it was … <\/p>\n