Sylvia Rivera

Famously known for tossing a Molotov cocktail during the 1969 Stonewall Inn riots in New York City, Hispanic-American transgender activist Sylvia Rivera (1951-2002) devoted her life to the gay, lesbian, and transgender liberation movements. In 2015 a photograph featuring Rivera was added to the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, making her the first transgender American to be featured there. In 2019 the city of New York unveiled plans to build a monument in honor of Rivera and fellow transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson.

Rivera was one of the United States' first visible transgender activists. After taking part in the Stonewall Inn riots, which touched off the modern gay-rights movement, Rivera helped found the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance....