From Stonewall to Breaking Down Walls: A Thank-you to Sylvia Rivera
by Aine Violet Pipe

It has been more than 240 years since the “shot heard ‘round the world’ was fired at Lexington on a fateful April day, and still, we have no idea who shot it. Nevertheless, the revolution it caused created America, land of the free and home of the brave. On a day in late June almost 50 years ago, a transgender Latina woman fired another shot heard ‘round the world, a bottle aimed at a policeman in New York City. The site was the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, and the riots that erupted there recreated America, if not as the land of tolerance, than at least a land of more tolerance. The woman who threw the bottle was Sylvia Rivera, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic, etc. (LGBTQIA+) community and I owe to her a debt that we cannot possibly repay.

Rivera was 17-years-old when she threw the bottle at Stonewall; she had been living on the streets for the past seven years after she was tormented by her peers for wearing makeup. She left her house, she said in a 1983 interview, because she could feel her grandmother’s anguish at the queer-bashing she (Rivera) had been experiencing.

Flash forward to 1969, when she had been passing through New York City with her partner at the time; that night was the first time she had gone to Stonewall. When the police raided the bar and started rounding up those who were not dressed in conformity with their biological sex, using brutal force and breaking bottles over detainees’ heads, something in the crowd snapped. Rivera and others witnessing the brutality decided to fight back. What followed was the catalyzation of a gay rights movement that moved swiftly and forcefully to change the culture in America to one exponentially more tolerant of gays, lesbians, and every sexuality in between.

However, the acronym of the community is not the LG community nor the LGB community, it’s the LGBTQIA community. It is a direct result of Rivera’s tireless work that people who aren’t cis have representation in the community and have their rights advocated for. In her time, she also advocated for queer people of color and those in the community who were homeless. Shortly after Stonewall, Rivera was one of those participating in the campaign to get New York City to pass a gay rights bill, which they did. Though she tried earnestly to include trans rights in the bill, the gay community abandoned her, as well as all genderqueer people. In Sylvia’s own words, they put her on the shelf.

This didn’t stop Sylvia from changing the world. She continued her tireless advocacy of genderqueer people, as well as other minorities in the then-unformed LGBTQ+ community. She created homeless shelters for trans people who were kicked out of their homes with the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) program she co-founded with fellow activist Marsha “Pay it no mind” Johnson. (NB: the word “transvestite,” though used pejoratively today, was, in the time of STAR, the predominant label transgender/genderqueer people used to describe themselves.)

Sylvia Rivera risked her life on multiple occasions. She had been thrown in jail, beaten up, and even scorned by the gay community itself, but she never gave up. She is credited with putting the “T” in LGBT, and she is the first trans woman to have her portrait in the Smithsonian. Most importantly, however, she is an inspiration to every person who is persecuted for who they are, for everyone who feels they need to hide who they are for fear they might be judged, and for everyone, absolutely everyone who feels they are too small to make a difference in this world.

Almost two months ago, I came out as transgender girl to a cisgender person for the first time. Not only did she immediately understand what trans meant, but she also accepted me. She gave me a hug and told me that she was proud of me for being who I am. The world may not have completely warmed up to the fact that there are people who aren’t straight, to say nothing of people who aren’t cis, but thanks to Sylvia Rivera and people like her, we’re a whole lot closer to America being the land of the tolerant. This Pride Month, we have to ask ourselves, if a 17-year-old trans lesbian of color who had lived the last seven years of her life on the streets can make such a difference, what’s stopping us?

Aine Violet Pipe has been an animal rights advocate since her first day on the planet and works with multiple organizations. A student journalist, her life’s mission is to expand free speech and free press protection to students (and to be a Supreme Court Justice). She’s currently working with Labrador Hill Sanctuary and the New Jersey New Voices Campaign.

Care about making a difference as much as Aine does? Come join us at YEA Camp this summer! We have sleepaway camps coast to coast for teens and a new summer camp for adults!

The post In Honor of Gay Pride, Trans Teen Remembers the 17-Year-Old Activist Who Put the T in LGBT+ appeared first on YEA Camp.

YEA Campers around the country are doing inspiring things to make a difference on so many causes. We’re thrilled that as part of this new Activist Spotlight series, we are getting to learn more about what they’re up to and share their activist stories with you in their own inspiring words.

Seventeen-year-old Jace Frazel was a camper at our Massachusetts camp this past summer and has been doing tons of activism! We’re excited to share more about what Jace is up to.

YEA Camp: Tell us about the activism you’ve been doing.

Jace: I have worked with my school’s Gay Straight Alliance to install gender neutral bathrooms. Making this happen, and working with the administration, has taken time. In addition, I am currently working on getting Meatless Mondays in my school. I’m working with the environmental club at my school, but it’s a slow process. We are slowly going to introduce some meatless dishes and hopefully get some vegan options. We are also trying to get some compostable dishes instead of styrofoam in the cafeteria. The environmental club at my school got composting implemented at our school this year. We already had recycling and last year we actually got composting in all the teachers’ rooms, but this year we put composting in the cafeteria for students to use too.

YEA Camp: Wow! That is amazing!  How did you get involved with activism and what you’re currently working on?

Jace: I’ve always wanted to make a difference, but I first got involved with activism when I started looking at the news and began surfing through social media, like Instagram. I realized there were so many problems in this world that I wasn’t even aware of, so I started making YouTube videos and posting on social media about various social issues. I especially felt connected towards LGBTQ+ and mental health issues, as those are close to me. I started giving advice to people struggling with their sexuality and gender identity as well as advocating for mental health issues by speaking out about it.

YEA Camp: What challenges have you faced as an activist and how have you dealt with them?

Jace: Right now, in working on getting compostable dishes in my cafeteria instead of styrofoam, we are struggling with the cost differences to get this change implemented. Styrofoam is really, really cheap compared to anything else. It’s literally pennies for each once. A few more pennies for a more environmentally friendly tray doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up. So it’s a ton of research into different types of trays we can get, how much that will cost, possibly getting a grant, and convincing administration.

YEA Camp: What advice do you have for new activists just getting involved?

Jace: For new activists wanting to get involved, the most important thing is finding something you’re really passionate about. It helps if you pick something close to your heart because you’re even more motivated. Then you just have to find ways to make a change. You can start by using skills you already have, whether that’s playing guitar to fundraise or giving a presentation to a group of people about what you’re passionate about.

YEA Camp: How did YEA Camp help you in your activism, if it did?

Jace: I always knew I wanted to make a change, but I didn’t know how to. I had a ton of ideas of things I could do, but I didn’t know where to start. YEA Camp helped by giving me the skills to make positive changes in the world and a community that is always willing to help give advice if I need help with my activism.

YEA Camp: What activist goals do you have in the future?

Jace: In the future, I want to make some sort of LGBTQ+ short film to help spread awareness of identities that are not as well known. I also want to come up with a mental health campaign video.

Jace is 17-year-old YEA Camp alumnus from the North Shore in Massachusetts and attended YEA Camp in 2017. Jace is an avid activist within the LGBTQIA+ community at his high school. Check out Jace’s youtube channel here.

Do you want to make a bigger difference in the world on important causes like equality and human rights, environmental sustainability, or another issue you care about? YEA Camp can help — and we now even have a camp for adults! Let us know if you have any questions!

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