marsha p johnson primary source

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Primary sources like this reel-to-reel recording offer crucial insight into LGBTQ history in its historical complexity, providing a window into Johnson and Rivera's ideas about gender and sexuality and political vision at the dawn of gay liberation. However, none of Johnson's friends or relatives believed Johnson was suicidal. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Afeni Shakur. Marsha P. Johnson. But this year, the global Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests have encouraged people to shine a special light on the impact of black gay and trans activists. [45] Souza told the Gay Activists Alliance shortly afterwards that it "was the shot glass that was heard around the world". She is wearing pearls and has her hair in an up-do decorated with flowers and feathers, Michael Dillon in his merchant navy uniform. Even though the Stonewall riots kick-started this wave of support for the LGBTQ+ community, there was still a lot of discrimination against them. "These were sacrifices to her father, and to Neptune, who got all mixed up together," explains Kohler. Almost a year to the day before her untimely and tragic death, Marsha P. Johnson marched down Christopher Street in a parade headed towards the first interfaith AIDS memorial service in history at the Church of Saint Veronica. Happy birthday to Marsha P. Johnson, born 24 August 1945! How Nan Goldin Waged War Against Big Pharma, How the Greensboro Four Began the Sit-In Movement, Biography: You Need to Know: Bayard Rustin, Biography: You Need to Know: Sylvia Rivera, Biography: You Need to Know: Dorothy Pittman Hughes. 580 volunteers each say one of the names from the 580 plaques of the #VillageAIDSMemorial. Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. Johnson was known for her immense generosity. [33][34] When The Cockettes, a similar drag troupe from San Francisco, formed an East Coast troupe, The Angels of Light, Johnson was also asked to perform with them. [62] Johnson was one of the activists who had been drawing attention to this epidemic of violence against the community, participating in marches and other activism to demand justice for victims, and an inquiry into how to stop the violence. [41], In 1992, George Segal's sculpture, Gay Liberation was moved to Christopher Park as part of the new Gay Liberation Monument. [41] Johnson had been speaking out against the "dirty cops" and elements of organized crime that many believed responsible for some of these assaults and murders, and had even voiced the concern that some of what Randy Wicker was stirring up, and pulling Johnson into, "could get you murdered. 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. I also want to add that just because I referenced these sources doesnt mean I agree with everything they say. MPJI supports artists and . During the fight he used a homophobic slur, and later bragged to someone at a bar that he had killed a drag queen named Marsha. Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were on the front lines of the fight for trans rights from as early as the 1960s when the movement was just beginning to gain traction. The main articles which I used when reading up on this can be found here, here, and here. According to Matt Foreman, former director of the Anti-Violence Project, "Anti-LGBT violence was at a peak. [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. [6] Johnson was known as the "mayor of Christopher Street"[13] due to being a welcoming presence in the streets of Greenwich Village. All Rights Reserved. Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. David Carter conducted many of his own interviews for this book. Marsha picketing Bellevue Hospital to protest their treatment of queer people c.1970, holding a sign reading Power to the people. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. We intend to reclaim our relationship as BLACK trans people to our movement legacy. It largely focusses on where Though she never saw it, Marsha would have approved of the fact that the Village AIDS Memorial remembered so many AIDS victims by name. Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera - National Park Service This Heroes of Stonewall: Marsha P. Johnson - World Queerstory Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries by Leslie Feinberg (2006). It was the source of a lot of my background on life for queer youth on the streets of New York, as well as containing some information about Marsha. This was the source of my direct quotes from Randy. Marsha P. Johnson Sylvia Rivera Historical Events Black Cat Raid, Los Angeles, California, 1967 Black Night Brawl, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 5, 1961 Compton's Cafeteria Raid, San Francisco, 1966 Coopers Do-Nut Raid, Los Angeles 1959 Pepper Hill Club Raid, Baltimore, Maryland in 1955. She announced in a June 26, 1992 interview that she had been H.I.V. The Marsha P. Johnson Institute is a fiscally sponsored project of Social Good Fund, a California nonprofit corporation and registered 501 (c) (3) organization, Tax ID (EIN) 46-1323531. This documentary uses 1992 interview footage taken with Marsha just weeks before her death, as well as a lot of footage of people who knew her talking about her. If you listened to our podcast on drag queen and activist Marsha P. Johnson, and you want to learn more, heres a list of all the sources we used. The witness said that when he tried to tell police what he had seen his story was ignored. It largely focusses on where Marsha's death sits within the wider context of transphobic violence across the USA. She was a leader in the LGBTQ community helping their youth that were struggling with homelessness and discrimination and hate. [81], In December 2002, a police investigation resulted in reclassification of Johnson's cause of death from "suicide" to "undetermined". [45], Johnson has been named, along with Zazu Nova and Jackie Hormona,[46] by a number of the Stonewall veterans interviewed by David Carter in his book, Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution, as being "three individuals known to have been in the vanguard" of the pushback against the police at the uprising. Never without a flower in her hair, Marsha was also referred to as a saint, even the Patron Saint of the LGBTQ community. And we were all like, Oh my God! They just dropped her. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. [13], In 2016, Victoria Cruz of the Anti-Violence Project also tried to get Johnson's case reopened, and succeeded in gaining access to previously unreleased documents and witness statements. How many years [does it take] for people to realize we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race.. Johnson was inspired by a Howard Johnson restaurant she liked, and the P stood for Pay it No Mind, which is how she responded when questioned about her gender. [11] On the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall uprising occurred. [14], Johnson was born Malcolm Michaels Jr. on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Find out more about the riots that started the Pride movement. This is an excellent place to start reading about STAR - its a collection put together in 2012 of a whole host of writings and interviews from the 1970s. All Rights Reserved. [47] However, many have corroborated that on the second night, Johnson climbed up a lamppost and dropped a bag with a brick in it down on a police car, shattering the windshield. As an African American trans woman, Johnson has consistently been overlooked both as a participant in the Stonewall uprising and more generally, LGBTQ activism. She didn't leave a note. She's said that the town had zero tolerance for LGBTQ people and as a woman assigned male at birth, she left as soon as she could. [30] Johnson received leftover flowers after sleeping under tables used for sorting flowers in the Flower District of Manhattan, and was known for wearing crowns of fresh flowers. During a time when same-sex marriage was illegal in the United States, the judge asked what "happened to this alleged husband", Johnson responded, "Pig shot him". By 1966, she was waiting tables, engaging in sex work, and living on the streets of the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. [37][36] In 1990, Johnson performed with The Hot Peaches in London. Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com". Her devotions were so ardently sincere that, on several occasions, eyewitnesses place her laying prostate on the floor of Catholic Churches around six in the morning and facing away from the altar because she considered it inappropriate to look directly upon, what she believed, was the holy habitation of the Lord. This article is about the foundation of STAR, and includes quotes from an interview Feinberg conducted in 1998 with Sylvia Rivera. (194592). 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. Have students read the statement silently or out loud as a class. 2023 BBC. [45] When this happened, Johnson would often get in fights and wind up hospitalized and sedated, and friends would have to organize and raise money to bail Johnson out of jail or try to secure release from places like Bellevue. She engaged in cross-dressing behavior at an early age but was quickly reprimanded. Douglas, c1972. She was tragically found dead on July 6, 1992 at the age of 46. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. The Uprising spawned the first gay pride marches across the country in 1970. [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. They said nobody else had been responsible for the death. "Y'all Better Quiet Down": Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ - TeachRock [74], Shortly after the 1992 Gay pride parade, Johnson's body was discovered floating in the Hudson River. According to Susan Stryker, a professor of human gender and sexuality studies at the University of Arizona, Johnson's gender expression could perhaps most accurately be called gender non-conforming; Johnson never self-identified with the term transgender, but the term was also not in broad use while Johnson was alive. Always sporting a smile, Johnson was an important advocate for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, those effected by H.I.V. Initially ruled a suicide, her death has since been ruled a possible homicide. For anyone wanting to learn more about drag queen and activist Marsha P. Johnson, this entire documentary is available for free on Youtube! [6][10][11] Though some have mistakenly credited Johnson for starting the riots, Johnson was always forthcoming about having not been present when the riots began. Check out our podcast to learn more about Marsha! That summer Saturday, their anger reached a breaking point after the police returned to Stonewall Inn for the second time in two days. Johnson subsequently joined the Gay Liberation Front, which was a catalyst for the gay rights movement. Johnson moved to Greenwich Village in New York City after graduating from high school. Johnson also took part in Gay Pride parades and events. Marsha P. Johnson Institute - Marsha P. Johnson Institute While the first two nights of rioting were the most intense, the clashes with police would result in a series of spontaneous demonstrations and marches through the gay neighborhoods of Greenwich Village for roughly a week afterwards. "I want people to stand beneath the halo and know that they can be like her. Marshas death sits within the wider context of transphobic violence 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. Best Known For: Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist. [44] This dual personality of Johnson's has been described as "a schizophrenic personality at work". Andy Warhol featured her in a 1975 screen print portfolio of drag queens and transgender merrymakers at the nightclub, Gilded Grape. Choosing a name is a rite of passage for many transgender people, and she tried on a few before settling on Marsha P. Johnson. Thats how legendary Stonewall leader Marsha P. Johnson came to be known in Greenwich Village due to her benevolence, kindness and generosity. In 2020 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that a 7-acre (3-hectare) waterfront park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn was being renamed for Johnson. As I mentioned in the podcast, there has been significant controversy surrounding this documentary, and theres plenty of information about that online. There is power speaking the names of victims aloud. marsha p. johnson Archives - PBS NewsHour Classroom In 1970, along with fellow activist Sylvia Rivera, she founded STAR - the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries - which aimed to provide food, housing, legal aid, and other necessities to homeless trans youth. She was joyous and creative and enjoyed performing. [20][45], Johnson was one of the first drag queens to go to the Stonewall Inn, after they began allowing women and drag queens inside; it was previously a bar for only gay men. Much like the recent Black Lives Matter marches in the United States, news of these protests spread around the world, inspiring others to join protests and rights groups to fight for equality. 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. Gay people were regularly threatened and beaten by police, and were shunned by many in society. (A drag queen is a man who dresses as a woman to entertain others.) Her desire for traditional feminine clothing quickly drew a reprimand from her father, a General Motors assembly line worker and housekeeper mother, as well as from the larger society. The same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages. 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. The + is an inclusive symbol to mean 'and others' to include people of all identities. She stated that the middle initial stood for pay it no mind, a phrase she often used when questioned about her gender or lifestyle. [58] In connection with sex work, Johnson claimed to have been arrested over 100 times, and was also shot once, in the late 1970s. In June 1969, when Marsha was 23 years old, police raided a gay bar in New York called The Stonewall Inn. our podcast on drag queen and activist Marsha P. Johnson, Activist Dick Leitschs account, written September 1969, Articles by journalists Howard Smith and Lucien Truscott, written July 1969, Letter written by Edmund White, June/July 1969, Pay It No Mind - The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson. Marsha went missing in 1992 and six days later police found Marsha's body. During a tempestuous Christian childhood, around the age of five, Johnson began to dress as a girl. Johnson gradually cultivated a unique personality and style and eventually began calling herself Marsha P. Johnson. Check out our podcast to learn more about the wonderful Marsha P. Johnson! VideoCounty Antrim pupils record special coronation hymn. -Marsha P. Johnson. [1] Her work continues today through the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which fights for the rights of Black transgender people. After the funeral, a series of demonstrations and marches to the police precinct took place, to demand justice for Johnson. 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. [74][13], Several people came forward to say they had seen Johnson harassed by a group of "thugs" who had also robbed people. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. [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. Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Academy, same-sex marriage was illegal in the United States, "Marsha P. Johnson, a Transgender Pioneer and Activist The New York Times", "Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries", "Two Transgender Activists Are Getting a Monument in New York", "Making Gay History: Episode 11 Johnson & Wicker", "DA reopens unsolved 1992 case involving the 'saint of gay life', "The Death of Marsha P. Johnson and the Quest for Closure", A queer history of the United States for young people, "The inspiring life of activist and drag queen Marsha P. Johnson - A passionate advocate for gay rights, Marsha was an instrumental figure in the Stonewall uprising", "#LGBTQ: Doc Film, "The Death & Life of Marsha P. Johnson" Debuts At Tribeca Film Fest The WOW Report", "Feature Doc 'Pay It No Mind: The Life & Times of Marsha P. Johnson' Released Online. [61] When Wicker's lover, David, became terminally ill with AIDS, Johnson became his caregiver. 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. Marsha was devoutly spiritual, confessing: I practice the Catholic religion because the Catholic religion is part of the sangria (blood) of the saints, which says that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.. In 1946 he published Self: A Study in Ethics and Endocrinology which The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson - David Frances 2017 documentary. One of Johnson's most notable direct actions occurred in August 1970, staging a sit-in protest at Weinstein Hall at New York University alongside fellow GLF members after administrators canceled a dance when they found out that it was sponsored by gay organizations. [38] Johnson, who was also HIV positive,[39] became an AIDS activist and appeared in The Hot Peaches production The Heat in 1990, singing the song "Love" while wearing an ACT UP, "Silence = Death" button. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. [5] Johnson spoke of first having a mental breakdown in 1970. Johnson is often credited with throwing the first brick at Stonewall. Database on-line. However . On June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street (the hub of the NYC Gay Community in the 1960s), things turned violent after a few LGBTQ people were arrested on questionable charges, handcuffed, and very publicly forced into police cars on the streets of NYC. Marsha P. Johnson was one of the most prominent figures of the gay rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. Homeless, she turned to prostitution to survive and soon found a like-minded community in the bawdy nightlife of Christopher Street. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. [75][76], Johnson's suspicious death occurred during a time when anti-LGBT violence was at a peak in New York City, including bias crime by police. 'Cause you know, me and Jesus is always talking. Much of Marsha's life was dedicated to helping others, despite suffering several mental health issues. American drag queen and activist Marsha P. Johnson was dedicated to social justice for the gay and transgender communities. The birth of the Village AIDS Memorial owes as much to community support from the likes of Marsha P. Johnson as it does to the miraculous AIDS hospice created by Saint Mother Teresa. The two worked for gay and transgender rights while also providing housing for LGBTQ youth living on the streets. For a while she performed with the drag group Hot Peaches. 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". 580 plaques is nowhere near representative of the over 100 thousand who died in NYC from HIV/AIDS, but it still makes a far larger dent than the four (its important to acknowledge) White statues commemorating the Gay Liberation Movement inside Christopher Park in front of the Stonewall Inn. Pay It No Mind - The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson In her own words, during a fated interview just 11 days before her death, Marsha expressed: How many people have died for these two little statues to be put in a park to recognize gay people! Johnson variably identified as gay, as a transvestite, and as a queen (referring to drag queen or "street queen"). Johnson and Rivera were key players in the 1969 New York riots, which historians say ignited the modern LGBTQ rights movement. [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". Supporting The Marsha P. Johnson Institute. This book includes an essay by Glenn Ligon on Warhols portrait of Marsha, and the issues of race and class which are tied up with that. and 18% of those were based on violence perpetrated by police." We're not around right now. 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/. [13], Former New York politician Tom Duane fought to reopen the case, because "Usually when there is a death by suicide the person usually leaves a note. After completing high school in 1963, he moved to New York, New York. Rivera, Sylvia, "Transvestites: Your Half Sisters and Half Brothers of the Revolution" in, Shepard, Benjamin Heim and Ronald Hayduk (2002). Johnson spearheaded the Stonewall uprising in 1969 and along with Sylvia Rivera, she later established the Street Transvestite (now Transgender) Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a group committed to helping homeless transgender youth in New York City. In 1963, Johnson graduated from Edison High School and promptly moved to New York City with $15 and a bag of clothing. ), alongside close friend Sylvia Rivera. Johnson's mother also encouraged her child to find a "billionaire" boyfriend or husband to take care of (Johnson) for life, a goal Johnson often talked about. [6] Their response was to march defiantly ahead of the parade. Take a minute to check out all the enhancements! Marsha P. Johnson Institute - Marsha P. Johnson Institute During that same interview conducted 11 days before her death, we get evidence that Marsha would have also liked that the Village AIDS Memorial was inside the sanctuary of a Roman Catholic Church. Life Story: Marsha P. Johnson - Women & the American Story The two of them became a visible presence at gay liberation marches and other radical political actions. Happy birthday to drag queen and activist Marsha P Johnson, born 24 August 1945! 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. We were young enough to believe we could change the world. Despite this, following the events at Stonewall, Johnson and her friend .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Sylvia Rivera co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) and they became fixtures in the community, especially in their commitment to helping homeless transgender youth. This was the source of a lot of my information . She was seen dropping a very heavy object on top of a police car, among other actions. She is wearing pearls and has her hair in an up-do decorated with flowers and feathers.]. 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. This 2012 article is about the reopening of the investigation into Marshas death. In 2015, The Marsha P. Johnson Institute was established. Britannica does not review the converted text. Johnson experienced a difficult childhood due to her Christian upbringing. She was identified as male at birth. Marsha said the "P" stood for "Pay it no mind" - a phrase they used when people commented negatively on their appearance or life choices. [49] Shortly after that, Johnson and close friend Sylvia Rivera co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) organization (initially titled Street Transvestites Actual Revolutionaries).
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