Named after a Stonewall activist who fought for equality, the third annual Sylvia Rivera community event takes place June 30.

Details were still being finalized at press time, but the event will feature a panel discussion with local members of the transgender community, as well as socializing and food. 

Sylvia Rivera was a transgender woman and a veteran of the Stonewall uprising in 1969. “I’m not missing a minute of this, it’s the revolution,” Rivera is credited of saying about the riots, which followed police harassment at the Stonewall Inn, an New York City gay bar.

“(The event) was named in her honor because of the role she played in the Stonewall riots and her activism to include the transgender community in the larger context of the queer community,” said Glen Paul Freedman, Atlanta Pride Committee board chair.

Having an event specific to the local transgender community is vital during Stonewall Month, he feels.

“I think it is essential for us to strive to have inclusive events that encompass the full spectrum of the LGBT community and our allies, so having programming to speak to the needs of the transgender community and to educate people about transgender issues is crucial to our mission as an organization,” Freedman said. 

Atlanta Pride has worked with Transgender Individuals Living Their Truth (TILTT), Juxtaposed Center for Transformation, and community members to plan the 2012 event. Freedman expects about 50 participants this year, which is roughly what the event drew in 2011.