"it used to be a wonderful thing to be avant-garde, to be different from the world. I see us reverting into a so-called liberated closet because we, not we, yous of this mainstream community, wish to be married, wish for this status. That's all fine. But you are forgetting your grassroots, you are forgetting your own individual identity. I mean, you can never be like them. Yes we can adopt children, all well and good, that's fine. I would love to have children. I would love to marry my lover over there [Julia Murray], but for political reasons, I will not do it because I don't feel that I have to fit in that closet of normal, straight society which the gay mainstream is going towards."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sylvia_Rivera
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Sylvia Rivera
Sylvia Rivera (July 2, 1951 – February 19, 2002) was an American gay liberation and transgender rights activist who was also a noted community worker in New York. Rivera, who identified as a drag queen, participated in demonstrations with the Gay Liberation Front.
26 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Sylvia Rivera →
Related Quotes
"Rivera was involved in protests against homophobia within the Black Panther Party, after which Huey Newton writing a …"
"Any time they needed any help, I was always there for the Young Lords. It was just the respect they gave us as human …"
"The women have tried to fight for their sex changes or to become women.... they do not write women, they do not write…"
"Some people say that the riots started because of Judy Garland's death. That's a myth. We were all involved in differ…"
"Routine was, "Faggots over here, dykes over here, and freaks over there," referring to my side of the community. If y…"
"Part of history forgets, that as the cops are inside the bar, the confrontation started outside by throwing change at…"
"People have also asked me, "Was it a pre-planned riot?," because out of nowhere, Molotov cocktails showed up. I have …"
"we have to remember one thing: that it was not just the gay community and the street queens that really escalated thi…"
"it was a long night of riots. It was actually very exciting cuz I remember howling all through the streets, "The revo…"
"One of my best friends now, who has employed me for the last seven years before I changed jobs, is Randy Wicker. Rand…"