Introduction
Stormé DeLarverie was iconic in the LGBTQ+ community and played a significant role in pioneering the fight for gay rights. Resistance and defending freedom for all people was what the activists did all the time as long as it was necessary. Her life’s work is imperative for an intersectional analysis to understand the depth of the character and how her experiences have been shaped by the passage of time and historical events.
Identity and Intersectionality
Stormé DeLarverie’s personality developed in such a way that she became a lesbian who was known for her masculinity. She was born in New Orleans in 1920 to a black mother and a white father (National Park Service). During police arrests at Stonewall, when law enforcement escorted people out of a bar wearing clothes they considered inappropriate for their gender, DeLarverie fought back. This began an active uprising that escalated into a brawl with the police in response to their aggression (University of Essex). Thus, she became the instigator of a protest movement, which, from the point of view of power systems, significantly changed the then-existing order and attitude towards people who stood out.
Systems of Power
Racism was a significant ingrained problem that needed to be addressed. Stormé DeLarverie understood this concept because she was mixed race and could experience both privilege and oppression at the same time. This posed a severe problem since she could not fully carry out her activities due to this factor. In addition, DeLarverie’s gender nonconformity also played an essential role in shaping her personality (University of Essex). This aspect was partly the decisive element in why she was arrested at Stonewall and why she began to resist. Fighting society’s expectations was a priority for her, which was supposed to help many people who, in the same way, had once suffered from attacks from the police or other insensitive people.
Social Justice
Establishing the same conditions for everyone was one of DeLarverie’s main tasks. As a lesbian, she identified herself with the community of LGBTQ+ people and accordingly tried to ensure that their rights were equal to other people. This part of her identity manifested itself most strongly since openly acknowledging her gayness was a courageous act at that time (Tashjian). By actively working to establish a better quality of life for LGBTQ+ people, she expanded the rights of such people significantly.
Moreover, the Stonewall Uprising discussed above also influenced this aspect as it was dominated by black and Latino transgender and gender non-conforming people (Tashjian). This intersectional justice work has impacted many people by helping them cope with their lives. In addition, she also contributed to changes that later played an essential role in ensuring that all people could freely express their opinions.
Conclusion
DeLarverie faced many difficulties in life, but this did not stop her from actively defending the rights and freedoms that were not available to many people then. Her work led to the fact that representatives of the LGBTQ+ community could express their opinions more freely in society. In addition, people began to understand other people’s emotions and empathize and appreciate them, thus developing a public culture of tolerance. The Stonewall Uprising was the starting point of a vast struggle between people for what they wanted to have.
Works Cited
National Park Service. Stormé DeLarverie. U. S. Department of the Interior. 2020. Web.
Tashjian, Rachel. A Brief History of Stormé DeLarverie, Stonewall’s Suiting Icon. GQ. 2019. Web.
University of Essex. Stormé Delarverie. 2022. Web.