Sylvia Rivera, a trans woman of Venezuelan and Puerto Rican origin, was one of the most active Latina leaders during the Stonewall protests.
In Stonewall protests there was a large participation of the Latino community that was doubly discriminated against, first because of its origin and then because of its sexual preferences. That's where the gay rights protests began, which then spread across the United States and then around the world to create Gay Pride Month. Therefore, there were few places in the LGBT community, including the Stonewall Inn bar located in Manhattan. For several days dozens of people from the LGBT + community clashed with the police because they were tired of the raids in the few spaces designated for them.Īt that time, being gay in the United States meant discrimination, same-sex relationships were illegal, meeting between gays was considered immoral and seen as a call to disorder, and homosexuality was perceived as a disease. At the end of June 1969, New York City was rocked by demonstrations never seen before on its streets.
