Sylvia Rivera
A forerunner in the fight against gender identity discrimination
As a trans Latina, Sylvia Rivera was an outlier among white gay men and lesbian feminists. In 1970, she cofounded the militant group and youth shelter STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) with African American trans activist Marsha P. Johnson (1945–1992), providing vulnerable and homeless trans teenagers with food and clothing. In this photo, Rivera (center) sits with her partner, Julia Murray (right), and friend Christina Hayworth in New York City’s Bryant Park in June 2000 at the Saturday rally before the next day’s gay pride parade.
Sylvia Rivera (with Christina Hayworth and Julia Murray)
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- Date
- 2000
- Artist
- Luis Carle, born 1962
- Sitter
- Sylvia Rivera, 2 Jul 1951 - 19 Feb 2002
- Christina Hayworth, 20th century
- Julia Murray, 20th century
- Exhibition Label
- Born New York City
- A forerunner in the fight against gender identity discrimination, Sylvia Rivera (center) frequented the Times Square district as a teenage sex worker after she was cast out by family. She was at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, when patrons violently rebuffed a police raid—a turning point in the modern LGBTQ+ struggle for equal rights. Subsequently, Rivera campaigned with the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) in urging the city to enact a nondiscrimination ordinance. Facing racism and discrimination as a transgender Latina by the mainly white male GAA leadership, she began working with homeless teenagers, cofounding the militant group and shelter STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries).
- In the 1990s, Rivera was embraced as a key figure in the LGBTQ+ movement. This portrait shows her flanked by her partner Julia Murray (right) and activist Christina Hayworth at the Saturday Rally before the New York City Pride March in 2000.
- Nacida en Nueva York
- Pionera en la lucha contra la discriminación por identidad de género, Sylvia Rivera (centro) fue trabajadora sexual adolescente en el área de Times Square luego de que su familia la rechazara. Estuvo en el Stonewall Inn en 1969 cuando los presentes se resistieron violentamente a una redada policiaca, momento decisivo en la lucha moderna por la igualdad de derechos LGBTQ+. Luego hizo campaña con la Alianza de Activistas Gay (GAA) por una ordenanza contra la discriminación. Pero como latina transgénero, fue objeto de racismo y discriminación por los líderes de la GAA, en su mayoría hombres blancos, y se fue a trabajar con jóvenes sin hogar, cofundando el refugio y grupo militante STAR (travestis callejeras de acción revolucionaria).
- En la década de 1990, Rivera fue acogida como figura clave en el movimiento LGBTQ+. Aquí aparece junto a su pareja Julia Murray (der.) y la activista Christina Hayworth en el mitin del sábado antes de la Marcha del Orgullo del 2000 en Nueva York
- Place
- United States\New York\Kings\New York
- Topic
- Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
- Sign
- Exterior\Park
- Sylvia Rivera: Female
- Sylvia Rivera: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist\LGBT rights activist
- Sylvia Rivera: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist\LGBT rights activist\Transgender rights activist
- Christina Hayworth: Female
- Christina Hayworth: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Colonel
- Christina Hayworth: Journalism and Media\Journalist
- Christina Hayworth: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist\LGBT rights activist\Transgender rights activist
- Julia Murray: Female
- Portrait
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Exhibition
- The Struggle for Justice Refresh
- On View
- NPG, West Gallery 220
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center
- Data Source
- National Portrait Gallery
- Object number
- NPG.2015.37
- Type
- Photograph
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Luis Carle
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 43.6 × 29.1 cm (17 3/16 × 11 7/16")
- Sheet: 51.3 × 36.8 cm (20 3/16 × 14 1/2")
- Metadata Usage
- Usage conditions apply
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2015.37
