The two most prominent figures on the front lines of Stonewall were , a self-identified drag queen and trans activist, and Sylvia Rivera , a Latina transgender activist. Johnson and Rivera didn’t just show up on the third night of riots; they had been living as homeless, marginalized street queens for years, fighting police brutality that disproportionately targeted trans people and drag queens.
Modern LGBTQ culture owes much of its militant, pride-centered ethos to transgender activists. The 1969 Stonewall Uprising—a watershed moment for gay liberation—was led by trans women of color, including and Sylvia Rivera . At a time when homosexuality was criminalized and gender nonconformity was pathologized, trans people were on the front lines. shemale solo erection top