Voices of the Movement

While the exact sequence of who first fought back against the police raid at the Stonewall Inn remains contentious, most versions of events credit butch lesbian Stormé DeLarverie as being among the first to resist, along with gender-nonconforming “queen” Marsha P. Johnson, Zazu Nova, Jackie Hormona and Johnson’s close friend, Sylvia Rivera, on the second night of rioting. Johnson was a well-known activist and performer at the time, but her status as a gendernonconforming queer person pushed her mostly to the fringes within the postStonewall activist community, which saw trans women and drag queens as bad for mainstream gay liberation. Johnson’s 1992 death remains unsolved. In 2017, the documentary “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson” brought Johnson’s story to a new generation: This year, it was announced that Johnson and Rivera would be honored with monuments

near the Stonewall Inn.

While established LGBTQ leaders like Cleve Jones and Larry Kramer are not quieting their calls for LGBTQ equality yet, new generations of activists have added their voices to the discussion. Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”) has made LGBTQ stories and activism central in his career, as has bisexual performer Lady Gaga. Janet Mock, Chaz Bono and Laverne Cox are all prominent members and advocates for the trans community. In San Francisco, Aria Sa’id is the first executive director of the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District. Activism is also no longer confined to petitions, marches and physical action. Social media has become an organizing tool for social and political activism available to everyone, regardless of whether they live in a city with a large, politically active queer population.

Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.com

Matt Sayles / Associated Press 2009