00:00Transgender icon Marsha P. Johnson has been considered a trailblazer in the
00:04LGBTQ plus community since she joined the patrons of the Stonewall Inn in the
00:08uprising of 1969.
00:10I think it's about time the gay brothers and sisters got their rights.
00:14But did you know she also founded her own trans collective?
00:17Marsha co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, also known as
00:21Star, with her close friend Sylvia Rivera.
00:24Sylvia Rivera deserves all the credit.
00:27Star was a radical political collective that worked to provide housing and support
00:31to homeless LGBTQ plus youth and sex workers in lower Manhattan.
00:35Marsha and Sylvia were the mothers of the household and funded Star mostly through sex work.
00:40Star moved its focus to achieving recognition for trans people within the gay liberationist
00:44movement and beyond.
00:46They even campaigned against other queer groups that ignored the trans community.
00:49Despite all it achieved, Star didn't last long.
00:52It's efforts started to dwindle after the 1973 Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade.
00:57Sylvia and fellow drag queen and trans activist Lee Brewster believed that gender non-conforming
01:02people and drag queens were being asked to back off for the march and they stormed the stage in protest.
01:13By the end of 1973, Star had officially dissolved, but it is still seen by many to be a groundbreaking
01:19organization in the queer liberation movement.
01:21Marsha and Sylvia's determination came from a deep love for their community.
01:25They believed their freedom was dependent on liberation for all.
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