Rhetoric Review Apr 2017

Embodying Truth: Sylvia Rivera’s Delivery ofParrhesiaat the 1973 Christopher Street Liberation Day Rally

Ruth Osorio University of Maryland, College Park

Abstract

Sylvia Rivera is a critical figure in queer and activist rhetorical history. At the Christopher Street Liberation Day Rally in 1973, Rivera engaged in parrhesia to push the movement to include and amplify the voices and needs of the most vulnerable members of the gay community: drag queens, homeless youth, gay inmates in prison and jail, and transgender people. Her delivery, including voice, gesture, and interaction with the audience, emphasizes the truthfulness, frankness, and criticism of her truth. By analyzing Rivera’s delivery of parrhesia, this article draws attention to the body’s role in speaking the truth as an activist rhetorical act.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2017-04-03
DOI
10.1080/07350198.2017.1282224
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism archival research gender and writing
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Schey (2025)
    Composing Time in a Secondary U.S. Classroom: (Not) Challenging Ideological Pol…
    Written Communication
  2. Jackson et al. (2024)
    “There is Not One Shred of Evidence That [Being Trans] is Not a Divine Gift”: G…
    Rhetoric Review
  3. Miller (2020)
    From Enclave to Counterpublic: Doubled Rhetorical Space and the Civil Rights Ma…
    Rhetoric & Public Affairs

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CrossRef global citation count: 7 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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