Written By: Jamie
Marsha P. Johnson is a civil rights activist, whose contributions and courageousness helped foster change for the LGBTQ+ community. Johnson was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on August 24, 1945. She was one of seven children in a working-class family, her father worked at the General Motors Assembly Line in Linden, New Jersey, and her mother was a housekeeper. Johnson’s family was very religious and she attended church regularly as a child, and she would continue to practice Christianity throughout her life. At the age of 5, Johnson discovered her love for dressing in women’s clothing, but due to bullying at her school and sexual assault by a 13-year-old boy, she would dress more masculine.
At the age of 17, Johnson moved to New York City with just a bag of clothes and $15 in her pocket. In the vibrant, but often dangerous, streets of Greenwich Village, Johnson found a community of companions. Embracing her identity, she adopted the name Marsha P. Johnson, the “P” standing for “Pay It No Mind,” a phrase she used to brush off questions and judgments about her gender. New York City was not a great place for the LGBTQ+ community with the persecution of gay people, and being criminalized simply for existing. With this stigma around the community, it was hard for openly gay people and transgender people to find work, which is why Johnson turned to sex work where she dealt with a lot of abuse. Johnson didn’t have a permanent home and would sleep at her friend’s homes, she was able to make some extra change waiting tables and performing at drag shows.
Johnson is most known for her involvement in the Stonewall Resistance in 1969. The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar that was constantly raided by police, but on this specific day on June 28th, the patrons at this bar fought back. Many people were arrested most of which were gay men and although Johnson’s role in the uprising is debated, people have reached a consensus that she was on the frontlines of the resistance. Johnson as well as other transgender women felt they had nothing more to lose due to the way they’ve been treated in this society and were simply tired of the mistreatment.
After Stonewall, Johnson continued her advocacy. In 1970, she and Sylvia Rivera, a transgender woman who saw Johnson as a mother figure when she was 11, and also played a part in the Stonewall Resistance, co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). STAR was a radical political group that supported and housed homeless LGBTQ teenagers and sex workers. Johnson and Rivera, both of who having been homeless, recognized the vital need for such assistance. The STAR house became a safe space for many who had been struggling. STAR was not the only way Johnson continued to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Johnson was a key member of the Gay Liberation Front and other early LGBTQ+ rights organizations. She participated in the first Christopher Street Liberation Day March in 1970, which evolved into the annual Pride March. Johnson’s advocacy went beyond LGBTQ+ issues, she also participated in anti-war marches and collaborated with ACT UP in the 1980s to advocate for HIV/AIDS patients.
Marsha P. Johnson tragically died on July 6, 1992, when her body was discovered in the Hudson River. Initially ruled a suicide, Johnson’s friends and fellow campaigners argued she was not suicidal. After years of pushback against Johnson’s death being ruled a suicide, especially considering 1992 was the worst year on record for anti-LGBTQ+ violence, Johnson’s case was finally reopened in 2012 but the case remains unsolved to this day.
Marsha’s impact on LGBTQ+ rights will never be forgotten. Despite, the issues she faced she always kept a smile on her face and continued to advocate for equality. In 2019, New York City announced that Marsha P. Johnson and Rivera would be the subjects of a monument commissioned by the Public Arts Campaign titled “She Built NYC.” The monument will be the first in New York City to recognize transgender women. In 2020, New York State named a seaside park in Brooklyn after Johnson. Johnson is currently the focus of numerous documentaries. She remains one of the most well-known and admired LGBTQ+ champions.