Rivera, Sylvia, 1951-2002

Sylvia Rivera (July 2, 1951 – February 19, 2002) was an American gay liberation and transgender rights activist[3][4][5] who was also a noted community worker in New York. Rivera, who identified as a drag queen for most of her life[6][7][8][9] and later as a transgender person,[10][11][12] participated in demonstrations with the Gay Liberation Front.[13]

With close friend Marsha P. Johnson, Rivera co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a group dedicated to helping homeless young drag queens, gay youth, and trans women.[14] Rivera was born and raised in New York City and lived most of her life in or near the city;