Stonewall veteran and trans rights advocate Victoria Cruz dies aged 79
Victoria Cruz (Getty Images)
Victoria Cruz, a transgender rights advocate, Stonewall veteran and longtime supporter of survivors of anti-trans violence, has died at the age of 79 following a battle with liver cancer.
Cruz was present at the Stonewall Inn during the historic 1969 uprising that helped ignite the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
While she was described by The New York Times as having played a quieter role in comparison to activists like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, she became a deeply respected elder within New York’s transgender community over the decades that followed.
For 17 years, Cruz worked with the New York City Anti-Violence Project, where she supported LGBTQ+ people affected by violence, discrimination and abuse.
A survivor of anti-trans workplace harassment and assault herself, she helped others navigate the legal system, access support services and rebuild their lives. Colleagues said members of the community would often simply ask for “Miss Vicky,” trusting her empathy and lived experience above anyone else’s, as reported by the New York Times on 3 July.
Cruz also featured prominently in the 2017 documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, which followed her investigation into Johnson’s 1992 death. In 2012, she received the National Crime Victims’ Service Award from the US Department of Justice in recognition of her advocacy.
Reflecting on why she dedicated her life to helping others, Cruz said in a 2022 interview for the Anti-Violence Project: “If you have the empathy to help out people, that’s half the ordeal. Just having the empathy and letting them know that you’re there to help them, not to judge them.”
Her legacy lives on through the countless LGBTQ+ people whose lives she touched with compassion, resilience and unwavering support.
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