the legacies of marsha p. johnson and sylvia rivera

the P in Marsha P. Johnson stands for 'pay it no mind'; what she used to tell people when asked what her gender was. her legacy is one of love and light; everybody who knew her described being amazed by her in the documentary 'The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson'. after reading this, go watch it if you have netflix. it's really thought provoking and inspiring, while heartbreaking.

Sylvia Rivera was another iconic black trans woman involved in the early gay rights movement with Marsha; way before it was socially accepted at all. she was notorious for her relentless struggle for justice and helping homeless LGBT youth on the streets of new york city.

since she was SO influential to the movement of gay rights and liberation, i believe that it's the responsibility of everyone, both in the LGBTQ+ community and allies to us, to not only find out about Marsha Johnson, but find out about the history of struggle and revolution that cultivated the liberal ideas of our generation.

Marsha at the Stonewall Riots (1969); the catalyst for the LGBTQ+ rights movement

Sylvia Rivera

Marsha & Sylvia, protesting together

both Marsha and Sylvia were warriors when it came to what they believed in. but they also nurtured kind hearts, and stayed true to them despite all the shit they were both put through by an unrelentlessly corrupt and discriminatory society. they were courageous, driven, passionate and a true inspiration. however, after laws were passed, rights were gained and society began to listen to the movement, some parts of it ( majority being white, cis, middle-class gays ) failed to fight for transgender men and women, without whom none of the rights they started to enjoy would be possible. 

so, Sylvia started up S.T.A.R (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), which aimed to help trans women get back on their feet, who were cast away from their lives due to them simply being their authentic selves. the women set up the STAR house, a house for trans youth to crash at while the outside world were apathetic to their hardships. 

a lot of their world didn't appreciate their passion for equality, or their willingness to achieve it by any means necessary. in fact, these things could've led to Marsha's death.

on the 6th of july, 1992, Marsha was found dead in the hudson river. her death was ruled a suicide, despite witnesses claiming to have seen her being followed by two men near the time of death. this isn't an isolated incident, and it still isn't a rare one to this day, scarily. in fact, many trans hate crimes in nyc around this time were committed by the police themselves; the people meant to protect everybody, and who had the power to rule cases ‘cold’,even when substantial evidence was present. nearly 10 years later, on the 19th of february 2002, sylvia joined marsha up in those stars; she died from liver cancer.

may they both rest in utter peace: they undoubtedly left their mark (and then some).

in conversations about LGBTQ+ history, we MUST remember to include the black trans women who gave their all to gay liberation. after all, they played the biggest role in our liberation and stood at the forefront, fighting for the community. to this day, the intersectionality of racism, sexism and transphobia that black trans-women face is deadly and is something that we all need to pay attention to. black trans lives not only matter, but are precious. just like everyone else's, but everyone seems to know that and act accordingly. the same can't be said for our black trans sisters.

this lgbt history month, i'm gunna watch 'it's a sin', because literally eeeveryone is speaking about how amazing and heartbreaking yet important it is. i'm also gunna continue posting at least one post relevant to lgbt history per week in february. i encourage all of you to read my posts, watch that series, as well as 'The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson', which is on netflix like i said.

thanks for reading <333 (only real g's read to down here)

k

xxxx