Rivera was born on July 2nd, 1951 as Ray Rivera. As a child she found a growing interest in makeup. By grade 4 she was wearing makeup to school. Lacking the support she needed from her family, by age 10, her grandmother disapproved and put her out on the street. Rivera became a child sex worker in Times Square. Later on in her life, Rivera took an interest in human rights, specifically race and gender/sexual orientation. She created the organization STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) with her best friend, Marsha P. Johnson. 