Two LGBT rights activists who took part in the 1969 Stonewall rebellion will be honored with a public monument in New York City.
What We Know:
- Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson monument will be installed in Greenwich Village which is a block away from Stonewall Inn. These history-making activists founded an organization called “Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries,” that helped homeless gay youths in 1970.
- According to CBS News, “Rivera, who died in 2002 at age 50, and Johnson, who died in 1992 at age 46, were both drag performers and activists. The news of the monument comes ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, and just in time for pride month, which is celebrated each June.”
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Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson were two remarkable trans women whose activism changed our city forever. The monument we raise in their honor will send a powerful message to every young person grappling with who they are. pic.twitter.com/ETKIyDpcwo
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) May 31, 2019
- Many people respected Johnson and Rivera because they see what it took for them to change the outlook of Trans people. In 2019, they are many more LGBTQ that needs to know about these women and what they endure in 1969.
- NYC first lady Chirlane McCray in a statement, “Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are undeniably two of the most important foremothers of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, yet their stories have been erased from a history they helped create. Today, we correct the record.”
With the upcoming 50th anniversary of Stonewall, Rivera and Johnson need to be remembered and uplifted in June’s gay pride event.
