kararikue:

55 - La Revolucionaria

Revolutions are often started by those who have little left to lose.

On the night of the Stonewall Riots, Sylvia Rivera — an orphaned, homeless, trans* /gender-variant woman and sex worker of Venezuelan and Puerto Rican descent - was a few days shy of 18. But none of that stopped her from revolting when a group of cops raided the Stonewall Inn.

Despite raids being a common occurrence at the time, Sylvia and her friend Marsha P. Johnson decided that enough was enough. They began to throw bottles at the police, and with the help of other queer people tired of police oppression, ultimately barricaded the invading officers inside the bar.

Her act of defiance sparked a movement towards queer liberation, and to this day we are indebted to her.

(via cocothinkshefancy)