Sylvia Rivera is often credited with throwing the second Molotov cocktail at the Stonewall riots in 1969. After taking her place in history, she joined forces with her friend Marsha P. Johnson to create Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR).

Rivera confounded many in the gay liberation movement because of her own diverse and complex background. She was poor, trans, a drag queen, a person of color, a former sex worker, and someone who also experienced drug addiction, incarceration, and homelessness. For these reasons, Rivera fought for not only gay and trans rights but also racial, economic, and criminal justice issues.