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On Tuesday morning we lost a good friend and a long-time queer warrior.
Miss Sylvia Rivera died in St. Vincent's Hospital with liver cancer, after
a strong fight. Many of us loved her, and we miss her already.
Sylvia was every kind of person the world likes to relegate to the garbage
-- she was a street kid, a tranny, a poor person, a latina, and a
loudmouth, among other things. She was also a smart, fierce fighter for
civil and human rights, and an engine behind the struggle for transgender
inclusion. When some lesbians and gay men attempted to advance gay rights
by defining thenselves as "normal" and trans people as "other", Sylvia
organized against the idea of "rights for some", and demanded that the
queer movement leave no one behind. That struggle is ongoing, and we will
continue to fight for Sylvia's ideals. Sylvia was also a mother, shelterer
and teacher to queer children -- that tradition continues in her memory as
well.
According to Sylvia's wishes, there will be a viewing this Friday from
7-9pm at Redden's Funeral Home on 14th St. (btw 8th & 9th) after which she
will be cremated. On Tuesday evening, Feb. 28th, there will be a funeral
beginning at Metropolitan Community Church, 446 West 36th Street, at 7pm.
Following the funeral, Sylvia's ashes will be taken in procession to The
Stonewall for a small service outside the bar, and then to the waterfront.
sylvia has been one of the most important figures in the LGBT movement's 30 year history. her life and memory are an example to everyone fighting for equality and liberation for all people, regardless of race, class, gender or sexual orientation. she will be sorely missed.