Historical footage of Sylvia Rivera and the Lesbian and White Gay Backlash
The following clip is excerpted from a wonderful KQED series titled The Question of Equality. This clip is from part one of this series: “Out Rage 69″ that talks about Stonewall, the Gay Liberation Front, the GAA, and the movement from a multi-issue queer movement to a single issue gay movement that excludes drag queens, people of color, street people and anyone not fitting the white gay mentality of the GAA. This clip presents a view into the backlash by gays and lesbians against drag queens and street transvestites and has some excellent interviews with Sylvia Rivera as well as her storming the stage at NYC Pride 1973, following Jean O’Leary’s vicious attack on Transvestites and Drag Queens. ENJOY!
3 comments
Unbelievable! Forty years and nothing has changed!
Thanks so much for this. It really says it all. Not a very proud period in our history.
If anyone is interested check out the posting on December 5, 2007 “Wrong road, Right Road, Wrong Road, Right Road,” in the QWB archives. Just go to the side bar click on December and then on the post. This is an essay about the early splits in the movement and why we as Queers must return to multi-issue organizing.
Another interesting post to read is “Collective Queer Resistance, Compton’s Capeteria, 1966,” this was posted August 9, 2007 and gives a bit of our transtory. Compton’s was the first recorded fight back against harrassment. Quess who fought back?
I am so glad I found this. How wonderful to see Sylvia, I only knew her the last couple years of her life. I used to sit and listen her stories about the early days, about Stonewall and about what she had been through in her life. I spoke to her on the phone about two weeks before she died and I’ll never forget her words. From the hospital bed, knowing she was close to dying she, she talked about how she felt physically, how she felt about her life and she finished by saying “I’m content”. Thanks for this little bit of history and the chance to hear see and hear Sylvia again. The last pride in NYC I went to a group of young people carried a giant likeness of her face, the spirit she represented lives on. But as the first comment said - nothing has changed.
Leave a Comment