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How Did Silvia Rivera Influence The Stonewall Movement

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"The word is out. Christopher Street shall be liberated. The gays have had it with oppression." The Stonewall riots were arguably the most important event in US, LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) history. There might be some people you have heard of like Marsha P Johnson that rioted at Stonewall for a significant amount of time and helped lead the revolution. However, one of the most influential, significant, and yet unknown individuals to lead and participate in the riots was Silvia Rivera. Rivera's role was one of the most important activists during the inception of equality for the LGBT community because she incited the Stonewall riots, she continued on in her activism by being incredibly active as a leader in civil rights …show more content…

It's been debated on who exactly started the Stonewall Riots; however, Silvia Rivera certainly helped make the riots happen. Many say Silvia Rivera threw the first brick, but she actually claims herself that she threw the second molotov. This second molotov incited the riot as everyone followed Silvia after she made that brave decision. On top of that, she never left the riots, and continued to encourage others to protest. “Rivera said in an interview in 2001 that while she did not throw the first molotov cocktail at the police (a long-enduring myth), she did throw the second” (Rothberg 2021). If Silvia didn't follow after the very first molotov, others would not have had the bravery to riot. Humans tend to follow the crowd as a way to protect themselves. If a large group; of people saw only one person throwing a molotov, they will …show more content…

“The Gay Liberation Youth Movement in New York: "An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail" : Stephan Cohen : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, 14 August 2019, https://archive.org/details/cohen-gylib. Accessed 23 March 2023.
K, Kristi. “Something Like A Super Lesbian: Stormé DeLarverie (In Memoriam).” Hello 40s (formerly the Kword), 28 May 2014, https://hello40s.com/2014/05/28/something-like-a-super-lesbian-storme-delarverie-in-memoriam/. Accessed 22 March 2023.
Miller, Shawn. “About | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month.” Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/. Accessed 23 March 2023.
Rothberg, Emma. “Sylvia Rivera.” National Women's History Museum, https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sylvia-rivera. Accessed 22 March 2023.
“Who was at Stonewall? | American Experience.” PBS, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/stonewall-participants/. Accessed 23 March 2023.
Wilson, Doric, and Edmund White. “Stonewall riots.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots. Accessed 23 March

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A year later the same day was when the christopher street day liberation march was held. Stone wall was known heavily by the police because they were always down there arresting the queers and fine the establishment. The raiding officers were sometimes rough which turned into making police brutality a common occurrence especially at bars around the country. A raid on june 28 1969 sent fairies, drag queens, trans people and gender nonconforming people on a standoff that lasted 3 days and this is how it became known as the stonewall riots. Months after the riot it sparked a major turning point for the gay rights movement Howard participated in the march as well and Howard also a year later organized the christopher street liberation day march to mark the stonewall riots first anniversary.

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Rivera was present in the bar at the time of the raid and later gave an account of her experiences. In the years following the riots, she went on to become a prominent activist for LGBT rights, particularly for young people. Rivera and her friend, Marsha P Johnson, opened a shelter for homeless LGBT people, called STAR (Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries). She also became heavily involved with groups such as the Black Panthers and the Young Lords, as well as both the GLF and GAA. Rivera is considered to be one of the most important activists to be involved in the riots, and is referred to by some as the Rosa Parks of the transgender rights

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