On February 19th, 1951, in New York City, Ray Rivera was born. Her father, José Rivera, abandoned her and her mother took her life, so she went to live with her Venezulan grandmother. Her grandma wasn't accepting of Ray's girlish behavior, and she was bullied at school for it was well. Ray ran away at the age of eleven. She was taken in by local Drag Queens and was given the name Sylvia. In 1963, Rivera met Martha Johnson. Rivera described Martha as a motherly figure in her life.
Just before her 18th birthday, Sylvia participated in the Stonewall Inn Uprising. The Stonewall Inn Uprising was a series riots with the intention of fighting for gay rights. As a result, pride is held in June. Sylvia didn't sleep or go home for all those six days that the riots took place. She claimed that it was a revolution and she didn't want to miss it.
The Sylvia Rivera Law Project fights for gender equality. The Law Project says that “all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence.”
Sylvia died on February 19th, 2002, at the age of 50. She had liver cancer. In 2005, the corner of two streets in New York was renamed "Sylvia Rivera Way" in her honor.
