Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. [53], With Rivera, Johnson established STAR House, a shelter for homeless gay and trans youth in 1970,[54] and paid the rent for it with money they made themselves as sex workers. Together we did", "Exploding the Myths of Stonewall Gay City News", "Gay History Month- June 28,1969: The REAL History of the Stonewall Riots", "Marsha P Johnson Carols for Ma & Pa Xmas Presents", "Gay rights activists Sylvia Ray Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, Barbara Deming, and Kady Vandeurs at City Hall rally for gay rights", "Marsha P. Johnson (19441992) Activist, Drag Mother. Several documentaries have been made celebrating Johnsons life and activism. These cookies do not store any personal information. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Marsha P. Johnson (August 24, 1945 - July 6, 1992), also known as Malcolm Michaels Jr., [3] [4] was an American gay liberation [6] [7] activist and self-identified drag queen. Marsha P. Johnson Biography, Biography.com, December 14, 2017, https://www.biography.com/people/marsha-p-johnson-112717; Sewell Chan, Marsha P. Johnson A transgender pioneer and activist who was a fixture of Greenwich Village street life, The New York Times.com, March 8, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/obituaries/overlooked-marsha-p-johnson.html; Eric Marcus, Marsha P. Johnson & Randy Wicker, Making Gay History, March 2, 2017, https://makinggayhistory.com/podcast/episode-11-johnson-wicker/. [20] Johnson's mother reportedly said that being homosexual is like being "lower than a dog",[21] but Johnson said that Alberta was unaware of the LGBT community. Some books which include general information on Marsha are: Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution by David Carter (2010). [5] As Edmund White writes in his 1979 Village Voice article, "The Politics of Drag", Johnson also liked dressing in ways that would display "the interstice between masculine and feminine". "Rapping With a Street Transvestite Revolutionary" in Out of the closets: voices of gay liberation. [45][37] Johnson denied starting the uprising. Thats how legendary Stonewall leader Marsha P. Johnson came to be known in Greenwich Village due to her benevolence, kindness and generosity. [6] In 1973, Johnson and Rivera were banned from participating in the gay pride parade by the gay and lesbian committee who were administering the event stating they "weren't gonna allow drag queens" at their marches claiming they were "giving them a bad name". [18][19] After this, Johnson described the idea of being gay as "some sort of dream", rather than something that seemed possible, and so chose to remain sexually inactive until leaving for New York City at 17. Marsha P. Johnson. [13] Other locals stated later that law enforcement was not interested in investigating Johnson's death, stating that the case was about a "gay black man" and wanting little to do with it at the time. Above, we see Marsha standing in front of a Pride Week soup kitchen put on by the Church of Saint Veronica, apparently benefitting from these types of essential services offered at this unique Roman Catholic Church, which ministered to the vulnerable LGBTQ community. VideoCounty Antrim pupils record special coronation hymn. [45] Watson also reported that Johnson's saintly personality was "volatile" and listed a roster of gay bars from which Johnson had been banned. The two worked for gay and transgender rights while also providing housing for LGBTQ youth living on the streets. She was one of the demonstrators during the Stonewall riots in 1969, protesting against police harassment and social discrimination of gay and transgender individuals. Terms and Conditions She was joyous and creative and enjoyed performing. [5][15][16][17] Commenting on this upbringing, Johnson said, "I got married to Jesus Christ when I was sixteen years old, still in high school. Initially and quickly ruled a suicide by the NYPD, controversy and protest followed, eventually leading to a re-opening of the case as a possible homicide. She was a Catholic with a strong sense of faith. and AIDS, and gay and transgender rights. In 2019, the head of New York's Police Department apologised for their actions, saying, "the actions taken by the NYPD were wrong". And before that, for many years, legend had it that Marsha P. Johnson threw the first brick, but she said herself that by the time she arrived at the Stonewall on that first night, the party was already in full swing. Marsha was nicknamed the "Saint of Christopher Street" (where the Stonewall Inn is located), because of the generosity they had shown towards people in New York's LGBTQ+ community. Weve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. [48] On the first anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion, on June 28, 1970, Johnson marched in the first Gay Pride rally, then called the Christopher Street Liberation Day. And you know what? We intend to reclaim our relationship as BLACK trans people to our movement legacy. (2017). Initially ruled a suicide, her death has since been ruled a possible homicide. She was a leader in the LGBTQ community helping their youth that were struggling with homelessness and discrimination and hate. In honour of their upcoming 50th anniversary, well be talking about the Stonewall Riots. Just like 44% of Black trans women living in America today, Marsha was HIV positive and notably took care of many people with AIDS on their deathbeds. I will also note that I didnt look into Marshas involvement in Stonewall during research for this episode, so I cant comment on how these sources deal with that. Resources [41] Only weeks later, Johnson would also turn up dead under similar circumstances. [5] Johnson spoke of first having a mental breakdown in 1970. The same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages. At this time, being gay was classified as a mental illness in the United States. American drag queen and activist Marsha P. Johnson was dedicated to social justice for the gay and transgender communities. Marsha was a founder of STAR - the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries - which provided food, housing, legal aid, and other necessities to homeless trans youth. Search the online collections After the funeral, a series of demonstrations and marches to the police precinct took place, to demand justice for Johnson. Marsha is one of many Black Trans women that have left a powerful stamp on history. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! [58] In connection with sex work, Johnson claimed to have been arrested over 100 times, and was also shot once, in the late 1970s. She sought out new interviews with witnesses, friends, other activists, and police who had worked the case or had been on the force at the time of Johnson's death. Best Known For: Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist. But many friends argued this ruling at the time, saying attacks on gay and trans people were common. (1945-92). In June 1969, when Marsha was 23 years old, police raided a gay bar in New York called The Stonewall Inn. [79] Those who were close to Johnson considered the death suspicious; many claimed that while Johnson did struggle mentally, this did not manifest itself as suicidal ideation. [8][9] Known as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Johnson was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. The fifth of seven children, she was born Malcolm Michaels Jr. to Malcolm Michaels Sr. and Alberta (Claiborne) Michaels on August 24, 1945 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Herself HIV positive (just like 44% of Black Trans people in the United States today), Marsha also notably nursed AIDS victims as they wasted away. Marsha P. Johnson at the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, a protest inspired by the events that took place at the Stonewall Inn. ", "Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries found STAR House | Global Network of Sex Work Projects", "Marsha P. Johnson The Village AIDS Memorial", "Meet the Transgender Activist Fighting to Keep Marsha P. Johnson's Legacy Alive", Blacklips Performance Cult Chronology of Plays, "LGBT History Month Icon Of The Day: Marsha P. Johnson", "Mural of Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera vandalised with moustaches", "Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera Monuments Are Coming to NYC", "New York City to Honor Revolutionary Trans Activist Marsha P. Johnson With Monument", "Homo Riot, Suriani, The Dusty Rebel "Pay It No Mind", "National LGBTQ Wall of Honor unveiled at Stonewall Inn", "National LGBTQ Wall of Honor to be unveiled at historic Stonewall Inn", "Groups seek names for Stonewall 50 honor wall", "Marsha P. Johnson, late LGBTQ activist, to get monument in N.J. hometown", "Over 75,000 sign petition to have Marsha P. Johnson statue replace Columbus monument", "Mural honoring prominent New Jersey transgender rights activist vandalized in Elizabeth", "Mural of Marsha P. Johnson in NJ Vandalized During Pride", "Campaign underway to restore vandalized mural of transgender pioneer Marsha P. Johnson", "New York governor dedicates state park in memory of LGBTQ activist Marsha P. Johnson", "Brooklyn's East River State Park renamed in honor of late LGBTQ activist and trans icon Marsha P. Johnson", "Marsha P. Johnson Park to get new 'ornamental gateway' to cap off renovations, honor park's namesake", "Brooklyn's Marsha P. Johnson Park to get new 'ornamental' entrance", "Marsha P. Johnson: A transgender pioneer and activist who was a fixture of Greenwich Village street life", Photographs of Marsha P. Johnson by Diana Davies, Sylvia Rivera Reflects on the Spirit of Marsha P Johnson, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marsha_P._Johnson&oldid=1151258878, Johnson appears as a character in two fictional film dramas that are based on real events, including, A large, painted mural depicting Johnson and. To learn more about Marsha, check out our podcast! Women & the American Story: Marsha P. Johnson, Transgender Activist Watch on This video was created by the New-York Historical Society Teen Leaders in collaboration with the Untold project. American drag queen and activist Marsha P. Johnson was dedicated to social justice for the gay and transgender communities. She was a pioneer of the gay rights movement in the late 1960s and spent the following two decades advocating for equal rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. [32] Johnson sang and performed as a member of J. Camicias' international, NYC-based, drag performance troupe, Hot Peaches, from 1972 through to shows in the 1990s. In New York, Marsha struggled to make ends meet. Marsha P. Johnson ARCC Marsha P. Johnson Mar 22 Marsha P. Johnson, "The P stands for Pay It No Mind" is how she would respond to questions about her gender. All I want is my freedom. "I want people to stand beneath the halo and know that they can be like her. By 1966, she was waiting tables, engaging in sex work, and living on the streets of the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. She worked both as a waitress and a sex worker. Marcus Mayer, one of the first people who noticed her corpse floating near the Christopher Street Pier, would go on the record to describe the horror they felt with the way the New York Police Department treated her remains: It was very nasty because the way they pulled her out. Johnson moved to Greenwich Village in New York City after graduating from high school. We're not around right now. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. across the USA. (194592). "[73], Near the time of Johnson's death in 1992, Randy Wicker said Johnson was increasingly sick and in a fragile state. Johnson and Rivera's interviews and writings in this era also at times used terminology in ways that were sarcastic and camp, other times serious, or all of the above at once. A Netflix documentary was made about Marsha in 2017, The Stonewall Inn was the site of protesting and riots in June 1969, Watch Newsround - signed and subtitled. [11] The riots reportedly started at around 1:20 that morning after Storm DeLarverie fought back against the police officer who attempted to arrest her that night. Marsha P. Johnson was an African-American gay man and drag artist - someone who dresses extravagantly and performs as a woman - from New Jersey, whose activism in the 1960s and 70s had a huge. Johnson said she wasnt afraid of being arrested because shed spent the last 10 years going to jail simply for wearing makeup on 42nd street. [45] Carter, however, concluded that Robinson had given several different accounts of the night and in none of the accounts was Johnson's name brought up, possibly in fear that if he publicly credited the uprising to Johnson, then Johnson's well-known mental state and gender nonconforming, "could have been used effectively by the movement's opponents". My three main sources for this podcast were: For contemporary eye-witness accounts of Stonewall, you can read: Concerning Storm DeLarveries potential identity as theStonewall Lesbian, I referred to: Concerning Sylvia Riveras role in inciting the riots, I referred to: Concerning Marsha P. Johnsons role in inciting the riots, I referred to: James Gallagher, in Pay It No Mind - The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson. While I recommend some of these sources for the information they contain, I dont condone this decision. Careers [37][36] In 1990, Johnson performed with The Hot Peaches in London. Douglas, c1972. Twenty-five years later, Victoria Cruz, a crime victim advocate of the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) re-opened the case. She chose Johnson because she enjoyed hanging out at the popular eatery, Howard Johnsons. Tell students that the text displayed is a statement by directors Tourmaline and Sasha Wortzel on their short film Happy Birthday Marsha!, which depicts the life of trans activist Marsha P. Johnson in the hours prior to the Stonewall Rebellion. If looking for signs as to whether or not Marsha would have approved of the Village AIDS Memorial, we might look twice at the fact that she sat down for this rare sit-down videotaped interview (an absolute treasure for LGBTQ historians) the same day that the Village AIDS Memorial was dedicated, June 26, 1992. [26] Johnson said the phrase once to a judge, who was amused by it, leading to Johnson's release. So significant was the AIDS pandemic to her life, Marsha would often express her wish to journey across the river Jordan, helping AIDS patients all across America in the last years of her life. [60], Between 1980 and Johnson's death in 1992, Johnson lived with a friend, Randy Wicker, who had invited Johnson to stay the night one time when it was "very cold outabout 10 degrees [Fahrenheit]" (12C), and Marsha had just never left. She quickly became a prominent fixture in the LGBTQ community serving as a drag mother by helping homeless and struggling LGBTQ youth and touring the world as a successful drag queen with the Hot Peaches. In 2015, The Marsha P. Johnson Institute was established. For more information specifically on STAR, Id encourage you to check out: Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries: Survival, Revolt, and Queer Antagonist Struggle. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Marsha P. Johnson (Left) and Sylvia Rivera (Right), Gay Pride Parade, New York City, 1973. [69] When asked about religion in the last interview, Johnson said "I use Jesus Christ the most in my prayers, most of the time." Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com". She was identified as male at birth. This article is about the foundation of STAR, and includes quotes from an interview Feinberg conducted in 1998 with Sylvia Rivera. Finally, she decided shed make her own fun and started checking out the local scene. She was 46 at the time of her death. Johnson became well known in the LGBTQ community for her colorful wigs (often crowned with flowers or artificial fruit), red heels, sparkly robes, and multiple strands of costume jewelry. Queer history podcast covering content from around the world and throughout time. Rican trans woman Victoria Cruz. Best Known For: Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist. [29], Johnson's style of drag was not serious ("high drag" or "show drag"[20]) due to being unable to afford to purchase clothing from expensive stores. This book was the source of a lot of my information about Marshas relationship with Sylvia Rivera; about Marsha and Sylvias experiences in gay activism; and about STAR. She graduated high school at 17, then fled to New York City, where she could finally start dressing how she wanted. She is wearing pearls and has her hair in an up-do decorated with flowers and feathers.]. [31] Johnson was tall, slender and often dressed in flowing robes and shiny dresses, red plastic high heels and bright wigs, which tended to draw attention. Marsha's legacy lives on today in organisations such as the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which says it "protects and defends the human rights of BLACK transgender people". [45], Following the Stonewall uprising, Johnson joined the Gay Liberation Front and was active in the GLF Drag Queen Caucus. The Uprising spawned the first gay pride marches across the country in 1970. Johnson began going to the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, in the late 1960s. [14], Johnson was born Malcolm Michaels Jr. on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. "[63], Johnson remained devoutly religious in later life, often lighting candles and praying at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hoboken,[64] saying in 1992: "I practice the Catholic religion because the Catholic religion is part of the Santera of the saints, which says that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. It was incredibly useful in putting together our podcast on Marsha, and well worth a look. Blitz, Michael began reading texts on medicine, and endocrinology. [6], Johnson's body was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992. The NYPD further desecrated her memory when they pronounced her death a suicide, completely disregarding the evidence of foul play (i.e. That night, she had invited a bunch of her friends, including Rivera, to a party. fundations level k trick words, american traditions borrowed from other cultures, dubuque county jail inmates recent arrests,
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