A friend sent me Mamdani video Until It's Done: Sylvia Rivera (October 11, 20). I don't know how I feel about the Rivera bandwagon everyone is getting on these days.

I did like this: 1:32:

New York will not sit idly by while trans people are attacked. We'll deploy hundreds of lawyers to combat Trump's hate. Make New York City an LGBTQIA plus sanctuary city and create the Office of LGBTQIA plus affairs to allocate millions for youth gender affirming care.

::: spoiler full transcript (2min video)

I everyone calls me Sylvia. I've had this name for nine years. This is respect.

0:05: I'm on the Christopher Street Pier, or as it was called in Sylvia Rivera's day, the Christopher Street docks. In the 1970s, homeless queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of a hostile society. But it was here, on the physical margins of our city, that they found a home. Sylvia was one of those New Yorkers. She arrived here at the age of 11, where she immediately landed in the center of the gay rights movement. She befriended the legendary Marcia P. Johnson, protested at Stonewall, and led marches for equality. But even among the queer community, trans New Yorkers were excluded. Rivera and others were discouraged from walking in pride, their participation erased from Stonewall history.

0:42: I believe in us getting our rights, or else I would not be out there fighting for our rights.

(If I am recalling correctly, the clip around 0:40 is right before/as she got booed by the crowd, someone ran onstage to wrestle the mic off her -HK)

0:48: This cruelty took a toll. Rivera developed a substance abuse problem and was often homeless. When she had nowhere left to turn, she would sleep here, waves lapping nearby. Yet, no matter what hardships she faced, Sylvia Rivera advocated for others. She and Johnson founded STAR to house and feed trans kids. The Christopher Street Pier is like our city, a place of immense contradictions. It's where outsiders found belonging. And it's also where Marcia P. Johnson's body was found, the victim of a suspected murder no one was ever prosecuted for.

1:17: But even amidst this, we can chart a clear path forward that makes our city inclusive. Since taking office, Donald Trump has waged a scorched earth campaign against trans people. The man with the most power has expended enormous energy targeting those with the least.

1:32:

New York will not sit idly by while trans people are attacked. We'll deploy hundreds of lawyers to combat Trump's hate. Make New York City an LGBTQIA plus sanctuary city and create the Office of LGBTQIA plus affairs to allocate millions for youth gender affirming care.

1:49: We can't bring Sylvia back, but we can honor her memory by building a city where trans New Yorkers are cherished. In a time of darkness, New York must be the light.

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:::

For some reason, I then I watched auto suggested vid: Oct 10 2025 interview with David Remnick/New Yorker

Zohran affirms he has "grown up" as have his foolish youthful political positions. No fun zingers in here.

I don't particularly recommend the video unless you think "this guy is cool AF". I tried to include the transcript but it is many times the allowed char limit. You can get it here if you want https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=vbq7DFB8jWE&show_transcripts=1