Comg of Age Durg the 1970s — Chapter One: A Surge of Energy | Makg Gay History

gay liberation speech

No one anticipated , but Print Barack Obama ed the ocsn of his send Ingural Addrs to give what was perhaps the most important gay-rights …

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(1970) HUEY P. NEWTON, “THE WOMEN’S LIBERATN AND GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENTS”

Gay rights movement, civil rights movement that advot equal rights for LGBTQ persons—that is, for lbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenr persons, and queer persons—and lls for an end to discrimatn agast LGBTQ persons employment, cred, hog, public acmodatns, and other areas of life. * gay liberation speech *

Whatever your personal opns and your securi about homosexualy and the var liberatn movements among homosexuals and women (and I speak of the homosexuals and women as opprsed groups), we should try to une wh them a revolutnary fashn. We want to h a homosexual the mouth bee we are aaid that we might be homosexual; and we want to h the woman or shut her up bee we are aaid that she might strate or take the nuts that we might not have to start wh. I do not remember our ever nstutg any value that said that a revolutnary mt say offensive thgs towards homosexuals, or that a revolutnary should make sure that women do not speak out about their own particular kd of opprsn.

Pri is a time to rell the trials the Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer (LGBTQ+) muny has endured and to rejoice the triumphs of trailblazg dividuals who have bravely fought — and ntue to fight — for full equaly.

BIDEN JR., Print of the Uned Stat of Ameri, by virtue of the thory vted me by the Constutn and the laws of the Uned Stat, do hereby proclaim June 2021 as Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer Pri Month. E., for lbians, gays [homosexual mal], bisexuals, transgenr persons, and queer persons); seeks to elimate sodomy laws; and lls for an end to discrimatn agast LGBTQ persons employment, cred, hog, public acmodatns, and other areas of life.

A PROCLAMATN ON LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, AND QUEER PRI MONTH, 2021

Sylvia Rivera was a Lata-Amerin drag queen who was a gay and transgenr activist the 1960s and 70s. She's known for participatg the Stonewall Rts of 1969 and tablishg the polil anizatn STAR. * gay liberation speech *

) Gay rights prr to the 20th century Relig admonns agast sexual relatns between dividuals of the same sex (particularly men) long stigmatized such behavur, but most legal s Europe were silent on the subject of homosexualy and bisexualy.

GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

* gay liberation speech *

Dpe Paragraph 175 and the failure of the WhK to w s repeal, homosexual and bisexual men and women experienced a certa amount of eedom Germany, particularly durg the Weimar perd, between the end of World War I and the Nazi seizure of power. In the Uned Stat this greater visibily brought some backlash, particularly om the ernment and the police: the ernment often fired gay civil servants, the ary attempted to purge s ranks of gay soldiers (a policy enacted durg World War II), and police vice squads equently raid gay bars and arrted their patrons. In the Uned Stat the first major male anizatn, found 1950–51 by Harry Hay Los Angel, was the Mattache Society (s name reputedly rived om a medieval French society of masked players, the Société Mattache, to reprent the public “maskg” of homosexualy), while the Dghters of Bilis (named after the Sapphic love poems of Pierre Louÿs, Chansons Bilis), found 1955 by Phyllis Lyon and Del Mart San Francis, was a leadg group for women.

A PROCLAMATN ON LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND INTERSEX PRI MONTH, 2023

Image the backdrop of Huey P. Newton’s Aug. 15, 1970 speech on Women’s Liberatn and Gay Liberatn--jt 10 days after he was released om prison * gay liberation speech *

In Bra 1957 a missn chaired by Sir John Wolfenn issued a groundbreakg report (see Wolfenn Report) remendg that private homosexual liaisons between nsentg adults be removed om the doma of crimal law; a later the remendatn was implemented by Parliament the Sexual Offenc Act. In the 1970s and ’80s, gay polil anizatns proliferated, particularly the Uned Stat and Europe, and spread to other parts of the globe, though their relative size, strength, and succs—and toleratn by thori—varied signifintly. Now headquartered Geneva and renamed the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA World), plays a signifint role ordatg ternatnal efforts to promote human rights and fight discrimatn agast LGBTQ and tersex persons.

This support, along wh mpaigns by gay activists urgg gay men and women to “e out of the closet” (ed, the late 1980s, Natnal Comg Out Day was tablished, and is now celebrated on October 11 most untri), enuraged gay men and women to enter the polil arena as ndidat. At the lol and natnal levels, the number of openly gay policians creased dramatilly durg the 1990s and 2000s, and 2009 Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir beme prime mister of Iceland, which ma her the world’s first openly gay head of ernment.

In Ai, Asia, and Lat Ameri, openly gay policians have had only limed succs wng office; notable electns to natnal legislatur clud Patria Jiménez Flor Mexi (1997), Mike Waters South Ai (1999), and Clodovil Hernans Brazil (2006). Other issu of primary importance for the gay rights movement sce the 1970s clud batg the HIV/AIDS epimic and promotg disease preventn and fundg for rearch; lobbyg ernment for nondiscrimatory polici employment, hog, and other aspects of civil society; endg the ban on ary service for gay and lbian dividuals; expandg hate crim legislatn to clu protectns for gays, cludg transgenr dividuals; and securg marriage rights for same-sex upl (see same-sex marriage). Ary’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (1993–2011), which had permted gay and lbian dividuals to serve the ary if they did not disclose their sexual orientatn or engage homosexual activy; the repeal effectively end the ban on homosexuals the ary.

SYLVIA {LOR:#595959;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:600;MARG-BOTTOM:0.625REM;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:0.875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.2;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:1.25REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.2;}} A{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN-THICKNS:0.0625REM;TEXT-RATN-LOR:HER;TEXT-UNRLE-OFFSET:0.25REM;LOR:HER;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;} A:HOVER{LOR:#A00000;TEXT-RATN-LOR:BORR-LK-BODY-HOVER;}SYLVIA RIVERA WAS A LATA-AMERIN DRAG QUEEN WHO WAS A GAY AND TRANSGENR ACTIVIST THE 1960S AND 70S. SHE'S KNOWN FOR PARTICIPATG THE STONEWALL RTS OF 1969 AND TABLISHG THE POLIL ANIZATN {LOR:#323232;MARG-BOTTOM:0.625REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0.3125REM;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1;FONT-WEIGHT:800;} SPAN{FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;LE-HEIGHT:1.6;}{FONT-STYLE:NORMAL;PADDG-RIGHT:0.3125REM;LOR:#323232;FONT-FAY:RALAS,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.3;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;TEXT-TRANSFORM:PALIZE;}{DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;MARG-LEFT:0.625REM;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1;FONT-WEIGHT:800;}UPDATED: JAN 7, {DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;}{MARG-BOTTOM:0.9375REM;POSN:RELATIVE;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 64REM){{MAX-WIDTH:LC(100VW - (1REM * 2));MARG-LEFT:1REM;MARG-RIGHT:1REM;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC(-1 * 1REM);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 61.25REM){{MARG-LEFT:TO;MARG-RIGHT:TO;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - (LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM) - 2 * 1REM)) / -2);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 61.25REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 90REM){{MAX-WIDTH:LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM);MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM) - 1REM - 20.625REM) / 2);PADDG-LEFT:1REM;PADDG-RIGHT:1REM;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC(LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM) - 1REM - 20.625REM) / -2) - 1REM);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 90REM){{MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM)) / 2);MAX-WIDTH:LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM);PADDG-LEFT:1REM;PADDG-RIGHT:1REM;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC(LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 + 1REM)) / -2) - LC(2 * 1REM));}[DATA-HAS-SPONSOR] {MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM)) / 4);MARG-RIGHT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM)) / 4);}}{JTIFY-SELF:CENTER;POSN:RELATIVE;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{MARG-LEFT:-50VW;MARG-RIGHT:-50VW;WIDTH:100VW;LEFT:50%;RIGHT:50%;}}{HEIGHT:TO;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{MARG:TO LC(50% - 50VW);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{MARG:TO;}}{POSN:RELATIVE;HEIGHT:TO;}{POSN:RELATIVE;--POSN:ABSOLUTE;HEIGHT:TO;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;HEIGHT:TO;} A{POSN:ABSOLUTE;}{POSN:RELATIVE;WIDTH:100%;HEIGHT:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;VERTIL-ALIGN:TOP;}{BACKGROUND:#C92228;BOTTOM:0;PADDG:.5REM;RIGHT:0;}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{PADDG:0.39REM;}}{DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:1REM;WIDTH:1REM;}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{WIDTH:1.063REM;HEIGHT:1.063REM;}}{LE-HEIGHT:1;MARG-TOP:0.3125REM;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 73.75REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0.9375REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0;}}{LOR:#595959;PADDG-RIGHT:0.3125REM;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1;FONT-WEIGHT:800;}PHOTO: AP PHOTO/JT {FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-SIZE:1.1875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.6;PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;POSN:RELATIVE;}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{PADDG-LEFT:3.5REM;PADDG-RIGHT:3.5REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 61.25REM){{MAX-WIDTH:45.25REM;MARG-LEFT:TO;MARG-RIGHT:TO;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 61.25REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 73.75REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 100REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 90REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;}} EM{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-STYLE:ALIC;} STRONG{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;}{CLEAR:BOTH;NTENT:" ";DISPLAY:BLOCK;FONT-SIZE:0.7REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.5REM;HEIGHT:0REM;VISIBILY:HIDN;}{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-SIZE:1.1875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.6;} EM{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-STYLE:ALIC;} STRONG{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;}(1951-2002){LOR:#323232;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:800;LETTER-SPACG:0.02EM;MARG-BOTTOM:0.625REM;MARG-TOP:0.625REM;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:1.875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.1;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:2REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.1;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{FONT-SIZE:2REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.1;}} B, STRONG{FONT-FAY:HER;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;} EM, I{FONT-FAY:HER;FONT-STYLE:ALIC;}WHO WAS SYLVIA RIVERA?SYLVIA RIVERA WAS A LATA-AMERIN DRAG QUEEN WHO BEME ONE OF THE MOST RADIL GAY AND TRANSGENR ACTIVISTS OF THE 1960S AND 70S. AS -FOUNR OF THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT, RIVERA WAS KNOWN FOR PARTICIPATG THE {-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN-THICKNS:0.0625REM;TEXT-RATN-LOR:HER;TEXT-UNRLE-OFFSET:0.25REM;LOR:#A00000;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;}{LOR:#595959;TEXT-RATN-LOR:BORR-LK-BODY-HOVER;}STONEWALL RTS OF 1969 AND TABLISHG THE POLIL ANIZATN STAR (STREET TRANSVTE ACTN REVOLUTNARI) WH FELLOW IEND AND DRAG QUEEN, MARSHA P. JOHNSON. THE SYLVIA RIVERA LAW PROJECTIN HONOR OF RIVERA'S ACTIVISM THE GAY AND TRANS MUNY, THE SYLVIA RIVERA LAW PROJECT (SRLP) WAS FOUND 2002 — THE SAME YEAR OF HER ATH. AS A LEGAL AID ANIZATN, SRLP “WORKS TO GUARANTEE ALL PEOPLE ARE EE TO SELF-TERME GENR INTY AND EXPRSN, REGARDLS OF E AND RACE, AND WHOUT FACG HARASSMENT, DISCRIMATN OR VLENCE” BY GIVG GAY, TRANS AND GENR-FLUID DIVIDUALS ACCS TO LEGAL SERVIC, AS WELL AS TEACHG LEARSHIP AND ADVOCY SKILLS. CHILDHOODBORN ON JULY 2, 1951, THE BRONX, NEW YORK, RIVERA HAD A TROUBLED CHILDHOOD. HAILG OM PUERTO RIN AND VENEZUELAN SCENT, RIVERA WAS ABANDONED BY HER FATHER SHORTLY AFTER BIRTH AND ORPHANED AS A TODDLER WHEN HER MOTHER MTED SUICI. RAISED BY HER GRANDMOTHER, RIVERA WAS REJECTED AND BEATEN FOR HER EFFEMATE BEHAVR. BY AGE 11, SHE RAN AWAY OM HOME AND BEME A CHILD PROSTUTE, WORKG THE TIM SQUARE AREA. WHILE LIVG ON THE STREETS, RIVERA MET A GROUP OF DRAG QUEENS WHO WELED HER TO THEIR FOLD, AND WAS WH THEIR SUPPORT, SHE BEME "SYLVIA" AND INTIFIED AS A DRAG QUEEN. LATER LIFE, SHE WOULD NSIR HERSELF TRANSGENR, ALTHOUGH SHE DISLIKED LABELS. {--DATA-EMBED-DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;CLEAR:BOTH;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;MARG-BOTTOM:0.9375REM;MARG-LEFT:TO;MARG-RIGHT:TO;WIDTH:100%;}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 20REM){{WIDTH:100%;MARG:0 TO 0.9375REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 30REM){{WIDTH:100%;MARG:0 TO 0.9375REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 40.625REM){{WIDTH:100%;MARG:0 TO 0.9375REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{WIDTH:100%;MARG:0 TO 0.9375REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{WIDTH:100%;MARG:0 TO 0.9375REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 73.75REM){{WIDTH:100%;MARG:0 TO 0.9375REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 75REM){{WIDTH:100%;MARG:0 TO 0.9375REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 90REM){{WIDTH:100%;MARG:0 TO 0.9375REM;}} A SPAN{RIGHT:1REM;} IMG{WIDTH:TO;HEIGHT:85VH;} A{DISPLAY:-WEBK-LE-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-LE-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-LE-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:LE-FLEX;POSN:VAR(--POSN, RELATIVE);} IMG:NOT(.EWCW41W1){DISPLAY:BLOCK;WIDTH:100%;HEIGHT:TO;-WEBK-ALIGN-SELF:FLEX-START;-MS-FLEX-EM-ALIGN:FLEX-START;ALIGN-SELF:FLEX-START;}{WIDTH:100%;DISPLAY:-WEBK-LE-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-LE-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-LE-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:LE-FLEX;-WEBK-FLEX-DIRECTN:LUMN;-MS-FLEX-DIRECTN:LUMN;FLEX-DIRECTN:LUMN;MARG-LEFT:TO;MARG-RIGHT:TO;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 20REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 30REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 40.625REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 73.75REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 75REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 90REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;}}{WIDTH:0;M-WIDTH:100%;PADDG-TOP:0.625REM;LOR:#323232;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;MARG-BOTTOM:0.3125REM;FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-SIZE:1REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.4;} EM, I{FONT-FAY:HER;FONT-STYLE:ALIC;} EM{FONT-FAY:CHARTERITALIC,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-STYLE:ALIC;}SYLVIA RIVERA LEADG AN ACT-UP MARCH NEW YORK CY’S ON JUNE 26, {PADDG-LEFT:0REM;LE-HEIGHT:1;}PHOTO: AP PHOTO/JT SUTCLIFFEACTIVISM & THE STONEWALL RTSWH THE SURGE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, THE WOMEN'S RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND THE VIETNAM WAR PROTTS OF THE 1960S, RIVERA'S ACTIVISM BEGAN TO TAKE SHAPE. IN 1969, AT AGE 17, SHE TOOK PART THE FAMO STONEWALL RTS BY ALLEGEDLY THROWG THE SEND MOLOTOV CKTAIL PROTT TO A POLICE RAID OF THE GAY BAR THE STONEWALL INN MANHATTAN. THE EVENT WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR TALYSTS OF THE GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT AND TO FURTHER PH THE AGENDA FORWARD, RIVERA -FOUND THE GROUP, THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT.IN LATER TERVIEWS, SHE REMISCED ABOUT HER SPECIAL PLACE HISTORY. “WE WERE THE ONTLERS. WE DIDN’T TAKE NO S**T OM NOBODY... WE HAD NOTHG TO LOSE.”CO-FOUNR OF STAR WH MARSHA P. JOHNSONALONG WH THE TABLISHMENT OF THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT, RIVERA TEAMED UP WH IEND MARSHA P. JOHNSON TO -FOUND STAR (STREET TRANSVTE ACTN REVOLUTNARI), A GROUP THAT HELPED SUPPORT AND EMPOWER GAY, TRANS, AND GENR-FLUID YOUTH, 1970.DEFIANT OF LABELS, RIVERA NFOUND MANY THE MASTREAM GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT BEE OF HER OWN DIVERSE AND PLEX BACKGROUND: SHE WAS POOR, TRANS, A DRAG QUEEN, A PERSON OF LOR, A FORMER SEX WORKER, AND SOMEONE WHO ALSO EXPERIENCED DG ADDICTN, RCERATN AND HOMELSNS. FOR ALL OF THE REASONS, RIVERA FOUGHT FOR NOT ONLY GAY AND TRANS RIGHTS BUT ALSO RACIAL, ENOMIC AND CRIMAL JTICE ISSU. INIALLY PUBLIC SUPPORT OF THE GAY RIGHTS BILL, RIVERA FELT BETRAYED WHEN THE BILL — WHICH TOOK 17 YEARS TO BEE NEW YORK LAW 1986 — ULTIMATELY EXCLUD THE RIGHTS OF THE TRANSGENR MUNY."THEY HAVE A LTLE BACKROOM AL WHOUT VG MISS SYLVIA AND SOME OF THE OTHER TRANS ACTIVISTS TO THIS BACKROOM AL WH THE POLICIANS. THE AL WAS, 'YOU TAKE THEM OUT, WE’LL PASS THE BILL,'" RIVERA EXPLAED AT AN LGBT TALK 2001.'YA'LL BETTER QUIET DOWN' SPEECHTHE "BACKROOM ALS" RIVERA WAS REFERENCG WERE BEG LED BY GAY MIDDLE-CLASS WHE MEN AS WELL AS LBIAN FEMISTS WHO DIDN'T UNRSTAND NOR SHARED HER PASSN FOR MARGALIZED GROUPS WH THE GAY MUNY. ANGERED BY THEIR LACK OF CLN, RIVERA LIVERED HER FIERY "YA'LL BETTER QUIET DOWN" SPEECH NEW YORK CY AT THE CHRISTOPHER STREET LIBERATN DAY RALLY WASHGTON SQUARE PARK 1973 AMID BOOS OM THE CROWD: “YOU ALL TELL ME, GO AND HI MY TAIL BETWEEN MY LEGS.I WILL NO LONGER PUT UP WH THIS SH.I HAVE BEEN BEATEN.I HAVE HAD MY NOSE BROKEN.I HAVE BEEN THROWN JAIL.I HAVE LOST MY JOB.I HAVE LOST MY APARTMENT.FOR GAY LIBERATN, AND YOU ALL TREAT ME THIS WAY?WHAT THE F**K’S WRONG WH YOU ALL?THK ABOUT THAT!”FEELG BETRAYED BY THE MOVEMENT SHE HAD FOUGHT SO LONG AND HARD FOR, RIVERA LEFT STAR AND DISAPPEARED OM ACTIVISM FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS. SHE RETURNED TO FIGHT FOR TRANS ISSU STARTG THE MID-1990S AMID CULTURAL NVERSATNS AROUND ISSU LIKE GAY MARRIAGE AND THE LGBTQ MUNY SERVG THE ARY.ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STONEWALL RTS, RIVERA PARTICIPATED NEW YORK CY'S PRI PARA AND SHARED A FEW THOUGHTS. “THE MOVEMENT HAD PUT ME ON THE SHELF, BUT THEY TOOK ME DOWN AND DTED ME OFF," SHE SAID. “STILL, WAS BETIFUL. I WALKED DOWN 58TH STREET AND THE YOUNG ON WERE LLG OM THE SIWALK, 'SYLVIA, SYLVIA, THANK YOU, WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID.' AFTER THAT, I WENT BACK ON THE SHELF. IT WOULD BE WONRFUL IF THE MOVEMENT TOOK RE OF S OWN.”DEATHON FEBARY 19, 2002, RIVERA DIED OM LIVER NCER AT SAT VCENT'S CATHOLIC MEDIL CENTER NEW YORK, NY.SHE IS NSIRED ONE OF THE PIVOTAL FIGUR WHO ENSURED THE "T" LGBTQ AND THE ONLY TRANSGENR PERSON CLUD THE NATNAL PORTRA GALLERY AT THE SMHSONIAN. {BORR:0;BORR-BOTTOM:TH SOLID BLACK;MARG:1.875REM 0;CLEAR:BOTH;}QUICK {FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-SIZE:1.1875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.6;MARG:0.9375REM 0 0 0.625REM;PADDG:0 0 0 1.25REM;}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{MARG:0.9375REM 0;}} B, STRONG{FONT-FAY:HER;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;} EM{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-STYLE:ALIC;} EM, I{FONT-FAY:HER;FONT-STYLE:ALIC;} LI{PADDG-BOTTOM:0.625REM;} STRONG{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;} LI::MARKER{LOR:#323232;}BIRTH YEAR: 1951BIRTH DATE: JULY 2, 1951BIRTH STATE: NEW YORKBIRTH CY: BRONXBIRTH COUNTRY: UNED STATBT KNOWN FOR: SYLVIA RIVERA WAS A LATA-AMERIN DRAG QUEEN WHO WAS A GAY AND TRANSGENR ACTIVIST THE 1960S AND 70S. SHE'S KNOWN FOR PARTICIPATG THE STONEWALL RTS OF 1969 AND TABLISHG THE POLIL ANIZATN STAR.ASTROLOGIL SIGN: CANCERDEATH YEAR: 2002DEATH DATE: FEBARY 19, 2002DEATH STATE: NEW YORKDEATH CY: NEW YORKDEATH COUNTRY: UNED STATFACT CHECK

Homophobic and transphobic vrl spewed onle has spilled over to real life, as armed hate groups timidate people at Pri march and drag performanc, and threaten doctors’ offic and children’s hospals that offer re to the LGBTQI+ muny. BIDEN JR., Print of the Uned Stat of Ameri, by virtue of the thory vted me by the Constutn and the laws of the Uned Stat, do hereby proclaim June 2023 as Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Queer, and Intersex Pri Month. As -founr of the Gay Liberatn Front, Rivera was known for participatg the Stonewall Rts of 1969 and tablishg the polil anizatn STAR (Street Transvte Actn Revolutnari) wh fellow iend and drag queen, Marsha P.

As a legal aid anizatn, SRLP “works to guarantee all people are ee to self-terme genr inty and exprsn, regardls of e and race, and whout facg harassment, discrimatn or vlence” by givg gay, trans and genr-fluid dividuals accs to legal servic, as well as teachg learship and advocy skills. The event was one of the major talysts of the gay liberatn movement and to further ph the agenda forward, Rivera -found the group, the Gay Liberatn later terviews, she remisced about her special place history. Defiant of labels, Rivera nfound many the mastream gay liberatn movement bee of her own diverse and plex background: She was poor, trans, a drag queen, a person of lor, a former sex worker, and someone who also experienced dg addictn, rceratn and homelsns.

MAKINGGAYHISTORY—THE PODCAST

'Ya'll Better Quiet Down' SpeechThe "backroom als" Rivera was referencg were beg led by gay middle-class whe men as well as lbian femists who didn't unrstand nor shared her passn for margalized groups wh the gay muny. She returned to fight for trans issu startg the mid-1990s amid cultural nversatns around issu like gay marriage and the LGBTQ muny servg the the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Rts, Rivera participated New York Cy's pri para and shared a few thoughts.

AMERI’S MOST IMPORTANT GAY-RIGHTS SPEECH?

QUICK FACTSBirth Year: 1951Birth date: July 2, 1951Birth State: New YorkBirth Cy: BronxBirth Country: Uned StatBt Known For: Sylvia Rivera was a Lata-Amerin drag queen who was a gay and transgenr activist the 1960s and 70s.

Article about the passage of New York State’s gay rights bill, 31 years later (New York Tim, December 17, 2002) Newton on gay liberatn:1970 manifto which Newton lls for an alliance between the Black Panthers and the women’s liberatn and gay liberatn movements (open letter the Black Panther Party newspaper, Augt 21, 1970, page 5). ———Prottors: Gay Activists Alliance, don’t [overlappg voic]…Jim Owl, print of the Gay Activists Alliance, seated at the cy clerk’s sk wh same-sex weddg ke, durg the GAA’s marriage bure zap at the New York Cy Municipal Buildg, June 4, 1971.

GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT

———EM Narratn: The Gay Activists Alliance was jt one of the hundreds of new anizatns takg root: Lbians Risg, the Queens Liberatn Front, Lbian Femist Liberatn, and…———Ernie Ray: Let’s hear now om the Street Transvte Actn Revolutnari.

———Huey Newton: The homosexual group, uh, have been, uh, opprsed so, uh, much and so badly until, uh, was hard to nvce them that, uh, the Black Panther Party, uh, uh, is relatg to, uh, we see, uh, that, uh, uh, homosexuals are human begs and, uh, they’re opprsed bee of the bourgeois mentaly and the bourgeois treachery, uh, that, uh, exists this untry, uh, that, uh, tri to legislate, uh, sexual activy. The Gay Liberatn Front, the very first of the radil anizatns found the immediate aftermath of the Stonewall uprisg, was spawng Marxist offshoots, cludg Third World Gay Revolutn and the Red Butterfly cell. Glf newsletterFront and back of a 1970 Gay Liberatn Front newsletter announcg the gural Christopher Street Liberatn Day March and Gay-In and var GLF gathergs, cludg nscns-raisg workshops and a “mixed dance” at Alternate U.

———Cabaret Host: Now to start the show, I’d like to troduce a very good iend of me…———EM Narratn: The beloved Mama Jean Devante not only served as grand marshal at a number of early Pri March; she was a key member of the Gay Activists Alliance and Lbian Femist Liberatn. ———EM Narratn: Unr “Analysis, ” Kathy go on:———KB Voice-over: ”Who wants to go to a gay bar when you n get six hundred dancg partners, a light show, and ee at check, all for a ntributn of a dollar fifty, wh drks only a quarter!

THE GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT

Here was Jim Owl om Gay Activists Alliance, there was beat poet Allen Gsberg, and on the ma stage, Male, strint and clear:———MD: Our fears that people will know for who we are, that they will shun and revile , fire om our jobs, reject om our fai, evict om our hom, beat and jail . Of New York the summer of 1969 enuragg a quiet and rpectful “hang-out” of homosexuals Greenwich Village—an illtratn of the more “poky” homophile approach to prottg, which stood ntrast to the more disptive tactics of nascent gay liberatnist groups. So wasn’t merely that we removed them om the tegory of illns; we stated that there was no reason why a gay man and woman uldn’t be jt as healthy, jt as effective, jt as law-abidg, and pable of functng as any heterosexual.

Many thanks to our hard-workg crew at Makg Gay History, cludg puty director Inge De Taeye, stud engeer Michael Bognar, photo edor Michael Green, and our social media producers, Cristiana Peña and Nick Porter.

THIS DAY RISTANCE HISTORY: GAY LIBERATN FRONT TEARS DOWN HATE SPEECH SIGN OM BAR

Sound om the Gay Activists Alliance’s marriage bure zap om the imable Randy Wicker’s extraordary personal archive, some of which n be found on Newton’s Augt 1971 terview was wh San Francis Bay Area rad statn KPFA, thanks to the Pacifi archive.

Carl Wtman’s “Gay Manifto” was voiced by the parable Devlyn Camp, producer, wrer, and host of Queer Serial, a three-season podst chroniclg LGBTQ+ liberatn Ameri om the begng to the Stonewall uprisg and s aftermath. This episo was unrwrten wh a very genero donatn om André’s Fund and Robert Dodd, honorg André nsir jog on Makg Gay History’s Patreon channel, where you n support our work and at the same time ga accs to exclive terviews, behd-the-scen nversatns, and addnal archival d excerpts that we thk you’ll enjoy hearg.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY LIBERATION SPEECH

(1970) Huey P. Newton, “The Women’s Liberatn and Gay Liberatn Movements” • .

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