2 Transgender Activists Will Be Honored With A W Village Monument

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — Two pioneering transgender women of color who paved the way for the LGBTQ rights movement will be honored with a monument in Greenwich Village, the city announced Thursday.

Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera — leaders in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising — will be honored with a monument at Greenwich Village's Ruth Wittenberg Triangle in the heart of the Village at Sixth Avenue and Christopher Street.

The monument will be among the first to honor transgender people worldwide, the city said.

"We didn't just dream for this day. We worked for this day," said Angelica Ross, a transgender rights activist and cast member in Pose. "Today is a win — a long overdue win, but indeed, it's a win that we need to celebrate together."

Johnson and Rivera founded a housing and support organization for homeless LGBTQ youth and sex workers called STAR. They were leaders in during the Stonewall Uprisings and advocates for LGBTQ rights — particularly those experiencing homelessness and who were HIV-positive. They also fought for rights for people with disabilities and healthcare access for all.

"Words can't express what this means to us," Al Michaels, Johnson's nephew, said at a press conference Thursday. "[Johnson] didn't care what anybody thought of her — she just believed in spreading love and respect."

"She had $15 in her pocket [when she came to New York], and with that $15, became the mayor of Greenwich Village," Michaels said. "If that's not a New York story, I don't know what is."

Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray announced the new monument, which is a part of an initiative launched by McCray and former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, She Built NYC. Under the initiative, various women will be honored with monuments citywide, including Shirley Chisholm, Elizabeth Jennings Graham, Billie Holiday, Helen Rodríguez Trías, and Katherine Walker.

"Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are undeniably two of the most important foremothers of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, yet their stories have been erased from a history they helped create," First Lady Chirlane McCray said in a statement.

"Today, we correct the record," McCray said. "The city Marsha and Sylvia called home will honor their legacy and tell their stories for generations to come."

The monument will be funded under a $10 million fund Mayor Bill de Blasio allocated for new public artwork, according to the city. A call for artists is open until Oct. 1.

The monument to honor Johnson and Rivera comes just before the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising at the beginning of Pride Month and a few weeks after the city announced it will consider landmarking six historic LGBT sites — many in the West Village and Chelsea.