The 1969 Stonewall Uprising is widely considered the birth of the modern gay liberation movement. However, the first bricks thrown, the first punches landed, and the leaders of the subsequent riots were predominantly transgender women of color and drag queens. Marsha P. Johnson, a self-identified transvestite and gay liberationist, and Sylvia Rivera, a Latina trans woman, were instrumental in resisting police brutality.

By understanding the history of Stonewall, the violence of erasure, and the beauty of trans art, we build a culture that is truly inclusive. Remember, when we protect the most marginalized among us—specifically trans women of color—we build a world where everyone, regardless of gender, can live freely.

Despite their heroism, they were often excluded from the mainstream (predominantly white, cisgender, gay) organizations that formed after Stonewall, such as the Gay Activists Alliance. Rivera famously crashed a pride rally in 1973, screaming, “You all tell me, ‘Go home!’ Well, I’ve been trying to go home for 20 years!” This schism highlights a persistent tension: the tendency of cisgender LGB people to distance themselves from the trans community to appear more "palatable" to society.