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Sylvia Rivera (with Christina Hayworth and Julia Murray)

Sylvia Rivera (with Christina Hayworth and Julia Murray)
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Luis Carle, born 1962
Sitter
Sylvia Rivera, 2 Jul 1951 - 19 Feb 2002
Christina Hayworth, 20th century
Julia Murray, 20th century
Date
2000
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 43.6 × 29.1 cm (17 3/16 × 11 7/16")
Sheet: 51.3 × 36.8 cm (20 3/16 × 14 1/2")
Topic
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
Equipment\Sign
Exterior\Park
Sylvia Rivera: Female
Sylvia Rivera: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist\LGBT rights activist
Sylvia Rivera: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist\LGBT rights activist\Transgender rights activist
Christina Hayworth: Female
Christina Hayworth: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Colonel
Christina Hayworth: Journalism and Media\Journalist
Christina Hayworth: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist\LGBT rights activist\Transgender rights activist
Julia Murray: Female
Portrait
Place
United States\New York\Kings\New York
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Luis Carle
Object number
NPG.2015.37
Exhibition Label
Born New York City
A forerunner in the fight against gender identity discrimination, Sylvia Rivera (center) frequented the Times Square district as a teenage sex worker after she was cast out by family. She was at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, when patrons violently rebuffed a police raid—a turning point in the modern LGBTQ+ struggle for equal rights. Subsequently, Rivera campaigned with the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) in urging the city to enact a nondiscrimination ordinance. Facing racism and discrimination as a transgender Latina by the mainly white male GAA leadership, she began working with homeless teenagers, cofounding the militant group and shelter STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries).
In the 1990s, Rivera was embraced as a key figure in the LGBTQ+ movement. This portrait shows her flanked by her partner Julia Murray (right) and activist Christina Hayworth at the Saturday Rally before the New York City Pride March in 2000.
Nacida en Nueva York
Pionera en la lucha contra la discriminación por identidad de género, Sylvia Rivera (centro) fue trabajadora sexual adolescente en el área de Times Square luego de que su familia la rechazara. Estuvo en el Stonewall Inn en 1969 cuando los presentes se resistieron violentamente a una redada policiaca, momento decisivo en la lucha moderna por la igualdad de derechos LGBTQ+. Luego hizo campaña con la Alianza de Activistas Gay (GAA) por una ordenanza contra la discriminación. Pero como latina transgénero, fue objeto de racismo y discriminación por los líderes de la GAA, en su mayoría hombres blancos, y se fue a trabajar con jóvenes sin hogar, cofundando el refugio y grupo militante STAR (travestis callejeras de acción revolucionaria).
En la década de 1990, Rivera fue acogida como figura clave en el movimiento LGBTQ+. Aquí aparece junto a su pareja Julia Murray (der.) y la activista Christina Hayworth en el mitin del sábado antes de la Marcha del Orgullo del 2000 en Nueva York
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view