NYC to Celebrate Trans Activists Sylvia Rivera & Marsha P. Johnson With Monument

As reported in today’s The New York Times, New York City is to dedicate a monument in honour of trans trailblazers Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. The exact location of the installation is yet to be determined, but according to the NYT is is likely to be in close proximity to the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, where Rivera and Johnson were thought to be prominent figures in the 1969 uprising against police.

LGBTQ activist and Pose producer and director, Janet Mock responded on twitter: “Long overdue, deeply deserved…my heart is bursting.”

Long overdue, deeply deserved…my heart is bursting. https://t.co/ZiQwBH3chl

— Janet Mock (@janetmock) May 30, 2019

New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio also took to twitter to comment on the news: “When trans young people trying to find their place in the world come to the Village, they’ll look up at a monument to Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. They’ll see themselves, and their own potential to make history.”

When trans young people trying to find their place in the world come to the Village, they’ll look up at a monument to Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.

They’ll see themselves, and their own potential to make history. https://t.co/Yj1vn7VN4v

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) May 30, 2019

To find out more about Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera a good place to start is the 2017 documentary by David France The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, which features some stunning archive footage.