As we celebrate Transgender History Month 2025, the spotlight often lands on milestones, laws passed, barriers broken, and visibility achieved. But behind every moment of recognition is a history built by those who were never invited to the podium, never handed the microphone, and never asked for permission.
That’s why this month, we’re revisiting one of the most powerful documents of queer resistance: Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries: Survival, Revolt, and Queer Antagonist Struggle, also known as the STAR zine.
Shared freely on TransReads.org, this zine is not just a historical artifact. It is a survival guide, a manifesto, and a warning. It is the story of what happens when the world refuses to see you—and you decide to fight anyway.
What Was STAR?
The original Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) was founded in 1970 by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two trans women of color who fought on the front lines of the Stonewall Uprising. STAR created housing, food, protection, and community for trans youth who had been abandoned by society.
You won’t find their legacy plastered across bank-sponsored Pride floats. But the STAR zine brings it back to life with urgency and rage.
Inside are essays, oral histories, political manifestos, and practical organizing strategies. These pages refuse to let the radical history of STAR be cleaned up or forgotten. They are loud, gritty, and absolutely unapologetic.
Why This Zine Matters in 2025
Transgender History Month is not just about looking back. It is about looking deeper.
This year, as trans people across the country continue to face attacks on healthcare, housing, and basic dignity, the STAR zine reminds us that the systems harming us today are not new. And neither is the resistance.
Marsha and Sylvia were not asking for inclusion. They were building their own reality in the cracks of a society that wanted them gone. That energy still matters. That legacy still burns.
The STAR zine challenges us to stop framing trans history as a straight line of progress. Our history is circular, messy, angry, beautiful, and deeply rooted in survival.
A History That Fights Back
The first thing you’ll notice about the zine is its format. It’s a true cut-and-paste publication of handwritten notes, xeroxed flyers, typewritten manifestos, and raw emotional testimony.
But beyond the aesthetic is a more profound message. This history isn’t designed to comfort. It’s meant to equip.
One contributor writes, “We didn’t know it was going to be called ‘activism’ later. We just knew we were hungry, tired, and done begging.” That quote captures the spirit of the entire zine. It is less about honor and more about action.
The zine critiques sanitized narratives of trans icons. It rejects the idea that being remembered is more important than being effective. It reminds us that Sylvia Rivera was booed off stage at Pride for demanding real support for trans people. That Marsha P. Johnson was often unhoused, mentally unwell, and constantly caring for others anyway. That STAR was never a branding strategy, it was a lifeline.
Tools, Not Just Testimonies
What makes this zine essential is its balance of emotion and instruction. Yes, it contains stories of heartbreak and fury. But it also offers:
- Tactical steps for organizing housing for trans youth
- Ideas for raising money without institutional support
- Mutual aid models that actually work
- Community care rooted in real need, not social media performance
This is the kind of resource that reminds you: revolution doesn’t start with permission. It starts with the people who refuse to disappear.
Who Should Read It?
This zine is for:
- Young trans activists who want to know what came before them
- Queer people who feel disconnected from mainstream LGBTQ politics
- Allies who are tired of asking, “What can I do?” and are ready to start doing it
- Anyone who understands that true community care requires more than vibes
It is not clean. It is not easy to read. But it is honest. And that makes it more valuable than any rainbow-colored corporate donation ever could be.
Transgender History Is Not Polite
As we reflect on Transgender History Month, we must remember that history is not always pretty. It is not always celebrated. And it is not always easy to digest.
But it is ours.
The STAR zine gives us back a piece of our heritage that the mainstream would rather forget. A version of trans liberation that doesn’t rely on electoral wins or celebrity spotlights. This movement is built from soup pots, busted windows, and fierce love.
If you are feeling worn out, this zine will remind you that you come from people who kept going anyway. If you are feeling frustrated, this zine will show you how to use that anger. And if you are feeling alone, this zine will remind you that someone already built a home for you. It might have been in an abandoned building, but it was made with love.
Read the Full Zine
Download it free: STAR Zine PDF
Archived at: TransReads.org
This Transgender History Month, take action instead of merely remembering. Reignite.
