Sylvia Rivera famously interrupted a 1973 gay rights rally in New York, shouting down a speaker who was ignoring the plight of trans people and drag queens. She cried, "You all tell me, 'Go away! You’re too radical!' I’ve been beaten. I’ve been thrown in jail. I’ve lost my job. I’ve lost my apartment for gay liberation. And you all treat me this way?"
These trans women of color did not fight for "gay rights" as we know them today. They fought for survival. In the 1960s, it was legal to arrest someone for wearing clothing of the opposite gender (cross-dressing laws). Transgender people, drag queens, and gender-nonconforming individuals were the most visible, most policed, and most incarcerated members of the queer community. When they rioted at Stonewall, they were not fighting for the right to marry; they were fighting for the right to exist without being thrown in jail for their identity. Paradoxically, as the gay rights movement gained mainstream traction in the 1970s and 1980s, it often tried to sanitize itself. The goal became respectability: "We are just like you, except we love the same gender." To make this argument, many gay and lesbian organizations actively sidelined the most "scandalous" members of the community—the transsexuals, the drag queens, and the gender outlaws. amateur+teen+shemales+fix
If you or someone you know is struggling with gender identity or facing discrimination, contact The Trevor Project (1-866-488-7386) or the Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860). Sylvia Rivera famously interrupted a 1973 gay rights