Sylvia Rivera was a Latina American gay liberation and transgender rights activist. A veteran of the Stonewall Uprising, she was a tireless advocate for the marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community, especially low-income queer people of color.
"Hell hath no fury like a drag queen scorned."
Impact
Together with Marsha P. Johnson, she founded **S.T.A.R.** (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries). Rivera famously fought against the "Gay Rights Bill" in New York because it initially excluded transgender protections. She is remembered for her fierce 1973 "Y'all Better Quiet Down" speech, where she called out the movement for abandoning its most vulnerable members. Today, her legacy continues to inspire intersectional activism worldwide.