TL;DR
- Victoria Cruz died at 79 after a battle with liver cancer.
- She was present at the Stonewall Inn during the 1969 uprising.
- Cruz spent 17 years with the New York City Anti-Violence Project.
- She received the National Crime Victims’ Service Award in 2012.
Victoria Cruz, a transgender rights advocate, Stonewall veteran and longtime supporter of survivors of anti-trans violence, has died at the age of 79 after a battle with liver cancer.
Cruz was present at the Stonewall Inn during the historic 1969 uprising that helped launch the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Over the years that followed, she became a respected elder in New York’s transgender community, even as The New York Times noted that her role at Stonewall was quieter than those of activists such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.
For 17 years, Cruz worked with the New York City Anti-Violence Project, where she supported LGBTQ+ people facing violence, discrimination and abuse. She also drew on her own experience as a survivor of anti-trans workplace harassment and assault to help others deal with the legal system, find services and rebuild their lives.
According to colleagues, people in the community often asked for “Miss Vicky,” trusting her empathy and lived experience.
Cruz was also featured 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 for her advocacy.
In a 2022 interview for the Anti-Violence Project, Cruz said: “If you have the empathy to help out people, that’s half the ordeal.”
Her death is a loss for the communities she served, particularly trans people and other LGBTQ+ people seeking safety, legal support and affirmation after violence or abuse.
Comments (0)
Join the conversation