“I’m not missing a minute of this, it’s the revolution.”
Link: These words were spoken at the Stonewall Riots in 1969 by a 17 girl named Sylvia Rivera. This riot would be the spark that started the LGBT rights movement in the United States, and this girl would be one of the people that kept the fire going.
Thesis: During this speech, I will discuss Sylvia Rivera’s legacy as a gay and transgender activist and what her impact on the world has been.
Topic Overview: I will go over her part in the Stonewall Riots, the organization she started after the riots, and the problems she faced along the way.
Body Paragraph 1: Stonewall Riots
Stonewall Riots: June 28, 1969 is said to be the turning point in history for the LGBT community because
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of the extraordinary event that took place. This extraordinary event took place in New York City at a bar called Stonewall Inn, which was a place whose clientele was mostly gay men. The riots started because the police raided the bar. It wasn’t unusual for a gay bar to be raided and for people to be arrested at the time, but what was unusual is that the owner of the bar had bribed the police earlier that week. Stonewall Inn hadn’t been raided because of it’s usual clientele, gay men, it had been raided because the police were mostly targeting transgender and gender-variant people. Sylvia’s part: On the night of the riots, Sylvia went to the Stonewall Inn to go dancing.
It was supposed to be a fun night for her, but then all of the sudden, the lights came on, the police walked into the bar, lined people up, and asked everyone to show identification. The reason the police wanted identification was the New York law that stated that a person had to wear at least three items of clothing that were “appropriate” to the gender they were born as. Sylvia Rivera, who identified as a drag queen at the time, could be arrested at anytime due to dressing feminine instead of masculine. During these raids, the people that were arrested were employees of the bar, people without identification, and people dressed as a different gender. According to Sylvia, the riots were started by the “street queens” or homeless LGBT people, who were in the area. They witnessed a masculine woman resisting arrest and responded by throwing pocket change at the police. It only escalated from there. Eventually people were throwing bottles and molotov cocktails. Sylvia is credited with throwing the first bottle and the first molotov cocktail, although she said she threw the second cocktail, not the first. She once said, during an interview about the riots, “I was a radical, a revolutionist. I am still a revolutionist. … I’m glad I was in the Stonewall Riot. I remember when someone threw a Molotov cocktail, I thought, ‘My god, the revolution is here. The revolution is finally here!’ I always believed that we would have a fightback. I just knew that we would fight back. I just didn’t know it would be that night. I am proud of myself as being there that night. If I had lost that moment, I would have been kinda hurt because that’s when I saw the world change for me and my
people.” Body Paragraph 2: STAR & Young Lords STAR: After Stonewall, in the 1970s, Sylvia decided she wanted to help others in the LGBT community that were homeless. So she started a caucus of the Gay Liberation Front that advocated for homeless drag queens and runaways. It was called Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries or STAR. Sylvia and Marsha eventually started a shelter called STAR House. They had both been homeless growing up and wanted to provide food, clothes, and shelter for kids who were struggling like they did. They ran the shelter for three years while representing STAR in gay liberation marches. Sylvia Rivera revived STAR briefly in 2001 to fight for the transgender rights bill in New York. Young Lords: Sylvia wasn’t just involved in LGBT activism, she was also involved in the civil rights movement. One of the first times STAR was presented as a group was at a demonstration against police repression. This demonstration was held by the the Young Lords, a group of revolutionary Puerto Rican youth. Being Puerto Rican herself, Sylvia soon got herself and STAR involved in the Young Lords’ activism. She later said, “I became one of them. Any time they needed any help, I was always there for the Young Lords. It was just the respect they gave us as human beings. They gave us a lot of respect.” She even met the leader of the Black Panthers, Huey Newton, at the People's’ Revolutionary Convention in Philadelphia. During her lifetime, Sylvia was involved in many organizations but the most prevalent were the Young Lords and STAR. Body Paragraph 3: Problems She Faced Legal and Poverty: Sylvia faced many problems in her life due to being part of the LGBT community. She left home due to being abused as a child for being too effeminate. After that, she faced homelessness and poverty for most of her life. While living on the streets, she faced police brutality for being a drag queen and a person of color. Since it was illegal to dress differently than the gender you were born, she was arrested numerous times. Sylvia reported being physically abused and even raped by the police during these arrests. She also battled substance abuse for a lot of her life. GAA and Community: Some of the biggest hurdles she came across came from other members of the LGBT community. She worked with Gay Activist Alliance until they dropped gender nonconforming people out of their agenda to make it more acceptable. The biggest problem she faced was when she tried to speak at a gay pride rally in Washington Square Park but was beaten up for doing so by the people she thought were her allies. They barred her from speaking because a group called Lesbian Feminist Liberation thought that Sylvia and people like her were sexist because they expressed femininity even though they were born male. Sylvia responded by attempting suicide and temporarily dropping out of the gay rights movement. Despite the numerous challenges Sylvia faced, she helped achieve many rights for the LGBT community, including marriage equality and non-discrimination laws. Conclusion: Thesis and Main Points: Sylvia Rivera was one of the most important people to the early LGBT rights movement. She was a veteran of the Stonewall Riots, she founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, and she worked with organizations such as the Young Lords. She did all of this despite experiencing being excluded by her own community and it being illegal for her to express herself. Modern Day Connection: Sixth months ago, marriage equality was finally achieved in a legendary supreme court ruling. This happened on June 26, 2015, just two days before the 46th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Without the Stonewall Riots, without the spark that started the LGBT rights movement, this might not have happened. Sylvia Rivera was part of that spark. Legacy: She has left a legacy that affects the millions of LGBT people in the United States. Because of Sylvia’s and other activist’s work, 19 states have employment and housing non-discrimination laws protecting gender identity and sexual orientation. 17 states have public accommodations non-discrimination laws that protect LGBT people from being discriminated in places accessible to the public. There is currently an organization called The Sylvia Rivera Law Project which works to ensure that anyone can determine their own gender identity and expression without discrimination, harassment, or violence. They provide legal services such as name changes and healthcare advocacy to low income transgender people and transgender people of color. Memorable Ending: Finally, if you ever witness a revolution in your lifetime, don’t miss a minute of it because you have the potential to change lives just like Sylvia Rivera did.
For years the LGBT community has been consistently denied the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts, and it wasn’t until last year that same sex marriage became legal throughout the United States. However, they are not the only minorities being discriminated against in the United States. That is why Dolores Huerta, a well-known civil rights activist, points out that people who have experienced oppression should come together to achieve equality. In her keynote speech at the 21st National Conference on LGBT Equality, Dolores Huerta uses ethos, logos, and pathos as an effective way to inspire her audience to make a change in society.
Between 1924 and 1938,she was the executive director of YWCA facilities in Springfield,Ohio,Jersey City,New Jersey,Harlem,Philidelphia,Pennsylvania and Brooklyn. She married Merritt A Hedgeman in 1936. In addition,she was also the excutive director of the National Committee for a Permanet Fair Employment Practices Commission,she briefly served as the assistant Deam of Women at Howard University,as public relations consultant for Fuller Products Company,as a associate editor,columnist for the New York Age. And she also worked for the Harry Truman Presidential campaign. Besides her being the first black woman to have a Bachlor`s degree in English,she was also the first black woman to serve to hold the position in the cabniet of New York Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr from 1954 to 1958. All of her success made her a well respected civic leader by the early
The stonewall riots happened june 28, 1969. It took place in the the Stonewall inn which is located in Greenwich Village which is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. “The stonewall inn is widely known as the birthplace of the modern LGBT rights movement and holds a truly iconic place in history” (gaycitynews). This means that the Stonewall riots was the event that started the gay rights movement. This is saying that The Stonewall is where the gay rights movement started for gay people to have same rights has anyone else. It all started with A number of incidents that were happening simultaneously. “There was no one thing that happened or one person, there was just… a flash of group, of mass anger”(Wright). This means that everything was happening at once and a bunch of people were angry. People in the crowd started shouting “Gay Power!” “And as the word started to spread through Greenwich Village and across the city, hundreds of gay men and lesbians, black, white, Hispanic, and predominantly working class, converged on the Christopher Street area around the Stonewall Inn to join the fray”(Wright). So many gay and lesbian people were chanting “gay power” . “The street outside the bar where the rebellion lasted for several day and night in june”(gaycitynews). so the stonewall riot lasted many days and
...marches up and down certain streets in order to demonstrate how serious those involved were about change. Her participation in the numerous sit-ins, canvasses, church presentations and other activities immediately made her a frequent target of the white police. She was often recognized as being one of the leaders in the demonstration, and was immediately taken away to jail. Though, because of her experiences with Natchez, she was already used to the stifling feeling of prison life.
Her parents nurtured the background of this crusader to make her a great spokesperson. She also held positions throughout her life that allowed her to learn a lot about lynching. She was fueled by her natural drive to search for the truth.
...er contributions to society to a 5 page paper. She did amazing things to improve society as a whole. During her lifetime she was an, author, philosopher, women and children’s rights activist, humanitarian, scholar, sociologist, social worker, social leader, and founder of many programs still in place today. Her ideas continue to influence social, political and economic reform all over the world. I think it would be fair to say it is a blessing she was born in a time that made her type of work more difficult. She worked tirelessly to produce much needed changes that we benefit from today. Often times as Americans we take for granted the freedoms and protections are given to us, not taking into consideration the backbone that was necessary to make them happen. I am thankful for the opportunity to study and become more familiar with such an amazing woman of history.
The media considers the1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City the spark of the modern gay rights movement. This occurred after the police raided the Stonewall bar, a popular gay bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Allyn argues that the new energy and militancy generated by the riot played a crucial role in creating the gay liberation movement. Arguably, the Stonewall Riots have come to resemble the pivotal moment in gay rights history largely because it provided ways for the gay community to resist the social norms. In fact, the riots increased public awareness of gay rights activism (Allyn 157). Gay life after the Stonewall riots, however, was just as varied and complex as it was before. In the following era, ho...
...s, and beliefs. She spoke on behalf of women’s voting rights in Washington D.C, Boston, and New York. She also was the first speaker for the foundation, National Federation of Afro-American Women. On top of all of it, she helped to organize the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (blackhistorystudies.com 2014).
The Life and Activism of Angela Davis. I chose to do this research paper on Angela Davis because of her numerous contributions to the advancement of civil rights as well as to the women’s rights movement. I have passionate beliefs regarding the oppression of women and people of racial minorities. I sought to learn from Davis’ ideology and propose solutions to these conflicts that pervade our society. As well, I hope to gain historical insight into her life and the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and 70’s.
Hillary Rodham Clinton is a well-recognized woman in the United States. Her great contribution as Secretary of State impacted people’s lives. One of many remarkable speeches Clinton gave was the “The Women Rights Speech” at the 4th World Conference on Women Plenary Session, where she used strong words and emotions to appeal to the audience. Even though the speech talked about women's rights, she wanted everyone, including men and children, to listen and take action. Her use of ethos, logos and pathos throughout the speech helped people understand women live in a world where they suffer discrimination, and she proposes solutions to solve the issue.
In this essay, Gay deconstructs the stereotypical view of a feminist, by showing that you can be a feminist, even if you’re not in the small box the rest of the world thinks you should be in, in order to qualify as a ‘feminist’. Throughout the essay, Gay uses several quotes and stories from other women who are either afraid to say that they’re feminists, or don’t quite understand you don’t have to be in the limiting ‘box’, even though in their moral beliefs and actions, these sourced women are, in fact, feminists. According to Gay, if we didn’t have this stereotype, then maybe more women with diverse lives and views would be able to ‘come out’ as
...protest movements throughout America and the world.” Among the gay community Stonewall has become the word for freedom, for fighting, for equality. It became a turning point in Gay history, so much so that most books on the subject refer to “pre-Stonewall” and “post-Stonewall” as the lines of demarcation. Of course the journey is still long and fight has not been won. At the turn of the century there were still 20 states that made homosexual sex illegal , any only a few states would recognize the love and companionship of gays through marriage or civil unions. The military policy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is still active and prejudices continue to exist. But, as exemplified by any other civil rights movement, it is through the constant grind of activists and lay-people constantly protesting and educating, that change occurs, even if only one person at a time.
The Stonewall Riots marked the start of the gay rights movement, and inspired members of the gay community to fight for their rights instead of being condemned for their sexuality. Even today, gay people in the US use the incident at Stonewall to educate younger members of the gay community. "The younger generation should know about Stonewall so that they will realize it is possible to make change. It is possible to overcome entrenched, institutionalized prejudice, discrimination, and bigotry. And that they can live full equal lives." (Frank Kameny, aarp.org) This is the message that many members of the gay community continue to spread after the incident at the Stonewall Inn.
The history of the gay rights movement goes as far back as the late 19th century. More accurately, the quest by gays to search out others like themselves and foster a feeling of identity has been around since then. It is an innovative movement that seeks to change existing norms and gain acceptance within our culture. By 1915, one gay person said that the gay world was a "community, distinctly organized" (Milestones 1991), but kept mostly out of view because of social hostility. According to the Milestones article, after World War II, around 1940, many cities saw their first gay bars open as many homosexuals began to start a networking system. However, their newfound visibility only backfired on them, as in the 1950's president Eisenhower banned gays from holding federal jobs and many state institutions did the same. The lead taken by the federal government encouraged local police forces to harass gay citizens. "Vice officers regularly raided gay bars, sometimes arresting dozens of men and women on a single night" (Milestones). In spite of the adversity, out of the 1950s also came the first organized groups of gays, including leaders. The movement was small at first, but grew exponentially in short periods of time. Spurred on by the civil rights movement in the 1960s, the "homophile" (Milestones) movement took on more visibility, picketing government agencies and discriminatory policies. By 1969, around 50 gay organizations existed in the United States. The most crucial moment in blowing the gay rights movement wide open was on the evening of July 27, 1969, when a group of police raided a gay bar in New York City. This act prompted three days of rioting in the area called the Stonewall Rio...
The Stonewall Riots were a catalyst for the gay rights movement not just in the United States, but also around the world. The first gay pride marches occurred in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York on June 28th, 1970, the one year anniversary of the Riots. Also, three LGBT newspapers printed soon after the demonstrations. In conclusion, the causes of the Stonewall Riots were anti-gay laws, NYPD corruption, and lack of media attention.