THREAD:  It is a complete myth that Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera started the Stonewall riots, & thus the transgender community is responsible for Pride/LGB rights. This false claim has gained significant traction, & needs to be addressed. 1/9

1. MPJ/SR DID NOT START THE RIOT. According MPJ’s own words in this excerpt from a 1989 interview with Eric Marcus on the show “Making Gay History,” MPJ arrived at Stonewall *after* the riot had already begun; and SR was not there at all. So it is *impossible* MPJ or SR 2/9

“threw the first brick”/started the riot. In fact, a lesbian was the riot’s catalyst, with many believing the lesbian in question was Stormé DeLarverie. Failing to acknowledge her, while falsely attributing her revolutionary act to males, reflects the misogyny in the LGB & T. 3/9

2. NOT TRANSGENDER. MPJ was not trans, & explicitly said in the film “Pay It No Mind”—made 4 days before he died—that he was a gay man. He corrected anyone who referred to him as anything other than a man. SR/MPJ were drag queens/transvestites. 4/9

3. GAYS/LESBIANS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LGB RIGHTS/PRIDE. The first Pride took place on June 28, 1970, & was primarily organized/proposed by Craig Rodwell/Fred Sargeant ( @fredsargeant), Ellen Broidy, & Linda Rhodes--gay men & lesbians. Several earlier organization, such as 5/9

The Daughters of Bilitis/The Mattachine Society, & annual reminder days raising awareness of homosexual discrimination in the mid-60s, show that gays/lesbians fought for our rights well before Stonewall. And while transsexuals/transgender ppl may have helped over the decades, 6/9

the claim we "owe" our rights them is completely absurd.
 
4. TRANS REVISIONISM. The point of this revisionism, attributing Stonewall/Pride/LGB rights to trans ppl, is to engender in LGB a sense of obligation to advance trans ideology/objectives, & to bolster trans status. 7/9

However, it is time to #DropTheT. Not only does transgenderism have nothing to w/ the LGB, which are sexual orientations; its core/defining tenet elevates "gender identity" over biological sex, resulting in rank homophobia/ conversion therapy. This includes trans ppl claiming 8/9

exclusive same-sex attraction (so homosexuality itself) is "transphobic;” that lesbians/gay men must accept str8 men as lesbians & str8 women are gay men, incl having sex w/ them, IOT respect their "gender identity;" that said str8 ppl belong in our spaces. This is absurd. 9/9

Some additional resources:

1. Link to full interview of Marsha P. Johnson by Eric Marcus:
https://makinggayhistory.com/podcast/episode-11-johnson-wicker/

2. Excellent, brief (abt 10 min) NYT video w/ leading gay historians, Stonewall patrons, & analysis regarding who "threw the first brick."
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/31/us/first-brick-at-stonewall-lgbtq.html

Another source: The quote referenced here is from an interview in the book "Out of the Closets, Voices of Gay Liberation," link , pp. 112-120. As is clear from the entire interview, not a snippet, MPJ knows he's a gay man. https://books.google.com/books?id=-hMVCgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=out+of+the+closets+karla+jay&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqwNjSgrbqAhVKneAKHRCPAacQ6AEwAHoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=out%20of%20the%20closets%20karla%20jay&f=false https://twitter.com/ListlessLesbian/status/1279729285519962112?s=19