American LGBTQ rights activist Marsha P. Johnson
Credit: From The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Public Square Films/Netflix)

In the United States, June is celebrated as LGBTQ Pride Month. LGBTQ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning. Throughout June, cities across the nation typically host concerts, festivals, colorful parades, parties, and other events that honor the identity, contributions, and historical impact of LGBTQ people.

Pride month occurs in June to commemorate (honor) the Stonewall uprising. The uprising took place in New York City in late June and early July 1969. It consisted of a series of demonstrations for gay rights. The Stonewall uprising was an important event in the modern gay rights movement. (The movement later came to be called the LGBTQ rights movement.)

Stonewall National Monument dedication on June 27, 2016.
Credit: U.S. Department of the Interior

The American LGBTQ rights activist Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992) is known as a leader of the uprising. Johnson was a transgender woman. Transgender is a term for individuals whose identity or self-expression does not match their assigned gender. Johnson worked to help members of the LGBTQ community, particularly in New York City.

Johnson had moved to the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City in 1963. In the 1960’s, Greenwich Village was the center of the city’s gay community. Johnson experienced homelessness and poverty. These early experiences in the city led her to become an activist for homeless youth. In particular, she advocated for young people who had been made homeless because their families or others did not accept their LGBTQ identity.

American LGBTQ rights activist Sylvia Rivera
Credit: © Justin Sutcliffe, AP Photo

The American LGBTQ activist Sylvia Rivera (1951-2002) was another prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising. Rivera was a drag queen (cross-dressing performer) and a transgender woman. Rivera fought to protect the rights of transgender individuals. She advocated on behalf of drag queens, homeless queer youth, and imprisoned gay people. These groups are sometimes overlooked by mainstream LGBTQ advocates.

Rivera also worked to help pass New York’s Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA). The law, which went into effect in 2003, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, employment, education, and a variety of other areas.

In 1970, Johnson and Rivera founded STAR—which stands for Street Transvestite (later changed to Transgender) Action Revolutionaries. The organization helped homeless transgender youth, advocated for sexual freedom, and allied the gay rights movement with other civil rights movements. Johnson and Rivera are considered pioneers of the LGBTQ rights movement.