“The only reason they tolerated the transgender community in some of these movements was because we were gung-ho, we were front liners. We didn’t take no shit from nobody. We had nothing to lose. You all had rights. We had nothing to lose. I’ll be the first one to step on any organization, any politician’s toes if I have to, to get the rights for my community.”
Quote by Sylvia Rivera
Work
Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR): Survival, Revolt, and Queer Antagonist Struggle
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
Sylvia Rivera
Sylvia Rivera was a transgender rights activist and a pivotal figure in the early days of the modern LGBTQ+ movement. Born on July 2, 1951, Rivera was a trailblazer for transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, particularly in New York City. She co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) in 1970, one of the first organizations to advocate for transgender rights. Rivera's advocacy work extended to issues of poverty, drug addiction, and HIV/AIDS. She passed away on February 19, 2002. more
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