06/17/2026
❤️🔥
THE MOTHERS OF THE TRANS MOVEMENT 🏳️⚧️ I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t know who Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson were until this year.
As a straight, white woman, their stories never came across my desk — and I consider myself an ally.
I know I’m not alone.
I also know, as a journalist, the best way to learn about someone is FROM them.
Neither Sylvia or Marsha are alive today, but this is one of Sylvia’s final Pride Month speeches ⤵️
My name is Sylvia Rivera. I'm cofounder of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, which is now Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries. My co-founder was Marsha P. Johnson.
I'm always trying to keep Marsha's name alive so the community doesn't forget who she was and what a beautiful trans woman Marsha Johnson was. I'm really, really happy that Marsha's name will continue on as part of the Black Pride/Gay Pride history, as it goes along and develops.
Through the years, people have asked me who Marsha P. Johnson is, and it really bothers me that people tend to forget who people are after they die.
You know, people tend to forget that the first Pride march was a march, a political action-what we have today is a party; this is not a political action, this is a parade. In the beginning, everything was—the first four years was basically fun. I mean, the festival took place right on Christopher Street. And all of a sudden it took a turn to, where—I found it offensive that, in the beginning, after four years of this revolution of ours, that we allowed straight vendors into our streets, into our mecca, for them to take our almighty dollar when they didn't even respect us.
Now what kind of logic is this? I don't understand.
We do not owe the straight community a damn thing, so why should we be giving them our money? I feel highly offended. And we're still doing it today with every fair that they have.
