By: Susan Oser
NFBPWC Advocacy Team LGBTQIA+ Lead 

LGBTQ+ Icon of the Month:  Sylvia Rivera

Why highlight?

Sylvia Rivera was one of the first transgender LGBT, Latina activists for transgender justice and civil rights.  She was homeless and worked with Marsha P. Johnson (featured last month).   She was one of the many people who became part of the infamous Stonewall Riots.  Because of her work, she blazed a trail for other transactivists to follow in her footsteps. 

Source(s): 

Sylvia Rivera Trans Movement 

Founder video -https://youtu.be/ybnH0HB0lqc?si=uhu_2Oy3kf4yinfi 

How to Honor Sylvia Rivera’s Legacy - https://www.them.us/story/how-to-honor-sylvia-riveraslegacy 

Slyvia Rivera Changed Queer and Trans Activism Forever -https://www.them.us/story/sylvia-rivera Good LGBTQ+ News for March:  

• The first results from the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey were released last week. Over 92,000 people across the U.S. participated in the survey, making it the largest survey ever of transgender people in this country. View the highlights and download the full Early Insights report at https://USTransSurvey.org. 

• LGBT Detroit Turns 30: What You Need to Know About North America's Largest Black-Led LGBTQ+ Organization - Leaders reflect on the legacy of the Michigan-based org http://tinyurl.com/ab7c2eny And now for the BAD news: 

• Republicans Are Trying to Pass Laws That Define What It Means to Be ‘Male’ Or ‘Female’ Advocates say the conservative push to define “sex” is not only politically motivated but goes against basic biology. http://tinyurl.com/ykctmjdr 

• Against the Erasure of Black Queer History - When there are efforts to censor Black queer history in classrooms, to prevent trans folks from changing their gender markers or using the bathrooms they prefer, we must resist. Resistance of erasure is resistance to oppression.  http://tinyurl.com/2temt3h3 

• Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Assessment Map - February Update - 6 weeks into 2024, there are already 400+ bills targeting transgender people. This map assesses the risk of the worst laws passing. https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/anti-trans-legislative-risk-assessment96f?r=k9h1j&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web## 

If you have any news or leads on anything related to LGBTQ+ news, issues, and organizations, please contact Sue Oser at soser@nfbpwc.org