[Founded in 1970, this was a radical political collective that also provided housing and support to homeless LGBT youth.]
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[What is the STAR? Or: Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries]
Founded in 1970 by Stonewall heroes Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) was a gay, gender non-conforming and transgender street activist organization. STAR was a political collective that provided housing and support to homeless LGBTQ youth in Lower Manhattan. Sylvia and Marsha were considered the "mothers" of STAR House and funded the home primarily through sex work. "STAR was for the street gay people, the street homeless people and anybody that needed help at that time," said Sylvia in a 1998 interview. Many contemporary LGBTQ activist groups model their approach and services after STAR House.
According to Sylvia, STAR "died" in 1973, on the fourth anniversary of Stonewall, at Pride. She was scheduled to speak at the rally, but had to force her way to the stage where she gave her famous “Y’all Better Quiet Down” speech.
Read more about STAR through our eSource Gale in Context: Biography, or check out some of these great titles related to Sylvia Rivera and LGBTQ efforts:
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- The Stonewall Riots: Making a Stand for LGBTQ Rights by Archie Bongiovanni
- Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History by Blair Imani
- Nuestra América: 30 Inspiring Latinas/Latinos Who Have Shaped the United States by Sabrina Vourvoulias
- Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution! by Joy Ellison
- The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets by Gayle E. Pitman
