She chose Johnson because she enjoyed hanging out at the popular eatery, Howard Johnsons. The NYPD further desecrated her memory when they pronounced her death a suicide, completely disregarding the evidence of foul play (i.e. Her life has been celebrated in numerous books, documentaries and films. Throughout her life Johnson suffered from mental illness and was in and out of psychiatric hospitals. They said nobody else had been responsible for the death. MPJI supports artists and . 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. 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. In 1972, as the face of the resistance, Johnson performed around the world with the popular drag theater company, Hot Peaches. 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 Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson - David Frances 2017 documentary. 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. Gender: Male. Earlier this year, New York Gov. (2017). This would be amongst the last activist causes in the life of a person whose voice changed the world. Marsha "Pay it No Mind" Johnson moved to Greenwich Village in 1963 with a high school diploma and $15 to her name. "The Unsung Heroines of Stonewall" National Parks Conservation Association Blog, October 1, 2020. After completing high school in 1963, he moved to New York, New York. She didn't leave a note. Johnson is often credited with throwing the first stone after. documentary follows the investigation of Marshas death by Puerto Michael Dillon was born on the 1st of May in England in 1915. Video, County Antrim pupils record special coronation hymn. 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. Theres also a lot of material written by Sylvia Rivera, including about her relationship with Marsha and their work with STAR. Marsha P. Johnson was an African American drag performer and social activist. [5] Johnson spoke of first having a mental breakdown in 1970. Read about our approach to external linking. While she may not have started the riots, she was a major player in the LGBTQ rights movement and community during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Michaels' father, Malcolm Michaels Sr., was an assembly line worker at General Motors, while Michaels' mother, Alberta Claiborne, was a housekeeper. I cant explore the biases of all of them in a blog post, but in the case of history in general, and something as contentious as Stonewall in particular, I encourage you to consult multiple sources and think critically about what theirsource is, what theyre saying and why. [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. Johnson was born Malcolm Michaels, Jr., on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. They also maintained the STAR House, a place of refuge for LGBTQ homeless youth. "[28] In an interview with Allen Young, in 1972's, Out of the Closets: Voices of Gay Liberation, Johnson discussed being a "Street Transvestite Action Revolutionary", saying, "A transvestite is still like a boy, very manly looking, a feminine boy. We do this by organizing, advocating, creating an intentional community to heal, developing transformative leadership, and promoting our collective power." The Marsha P. Johnson Institute is dedicated to supporting Black Trans 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. Much of Marsha's life was dedicated to helping others, despite suffering several mental health issues. [61] When Wicker's lover, David, became terminally ill with AIDS, Johnson became his caregiver. Choosing a name is a rite of passage for many transgender people, and she tried on a few before settling on Marsha P. Johnson. ), alongside close friend Sylvia Rivera. That's what made me in New York, that's what made me in New Jersey, that's what made me in the world." Johnsons story is featured in Pay It No Mind: Marsha P. Johnson (2012) and The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017) and Happy Birthday, Marsha! treatment they underwent to affirm their gender identity. [20], Johnson initially used the moniker "Black Marsha" but later decided on the drag queen name "Marsha P. Johnson", getting Johnson from the restaurant Howard Johnson's on 42nd Street, stating that the P stood for "pay it no mind"[25] and used the phrase sarcastically when questioned about gender, saying "it stands for 'pay it no mind'". She was a pioneer of the gay rights movement in the late 1960s and spent the following two decades advocating for equal . 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. Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. [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. We were young enough to believe we could change the world. Video, County Antrim pupils record special coronation hymn. Birth Place: Elizabeth, Union, New Jersey [Elizabeth, New Jersey]. [58] In connection with sex work, Johnson claimed to have been arrested over 100 times, and was also shot once, in the late 1970s. This 2012 article is about the reopening of the investigation into Marshas death. I mean how many years does it take for people to see that we're all in this rat race together. There is power speaking the names of victims aloud. 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. Terms and Conditions This was the source of a lot of my information . A few other online sources which I used or mentioned were: The 2018 New York Times obituary of Marshawhich was created as part of their Overlooked series. [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. Marsha P. Johnsons housemate Randy Wicker in Pay It No Mind. The police forced over 200 people out of the bar and onto the streets, and then used excessive violence against them. Homeless, she turned to prostitution to survive and soon found a like-minded community in the bawdy nightlife of Christopher Street. On the second night, however, several eyewitness accounts had her climbing up a light post with a brick in her purse which she promptly let drop on a police squad car below, shattering the window. [8] [9] Known as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Johnson was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. She is best remembered for her generosity and kindness, happily giving away her belongings, or spending her last two dollars on cookies to share around. In February 2020, the Mayor of New York renamed the East River State Park in Brooklyn, The Marsha P. Johnson State Park and announced there will be a statue created in honour of Marsha, to be unveiled in 2021. The two worked for gay and transgender rights while also providing housing for LGBTQ youth living on the streets. 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. Marsha was born Malcolm Michaels in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1945. . 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. She was homeless and prostituted herself to make ends meet. She announced in a June 26, 1992 interview that she had been H.I.V. She adopted the name "Black Marsha" soon after and became a fixture in the Village, where she was instantly recognizable by her bold style, notably wearing flowers in her hair. [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. Britannica does not review the converted text. [50][6] During a gay rights rally at New York City Hall in the early '70s, photographed by Diana Davies, a reporter asked Johnson why the group was demonstrating, Johnson shouted into the microphone, "Darling, I want my gay rights now! 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. The police ruled she had committed suicide despite claims from her friends and other members of the local community that she was not suicidal. Marshas death sits within the wider context of transphobic violence Johnson gradually cultivated a unique personality and style and eventually began calling herself Marsha P. Johnson. 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 impact on the LGBTQ+ community. While I recommend some of these sources for the information they contain, I dont condone this decision. It does provide some information about Marshas early life not found elsewhere. All rights reserved. She is wearing pearls and has her hair in an up-do decorated with flowers and feathers, Michael Dillon in his merchant navy uniform. There Johnson began frequenting bars and nightclubs dressed as a female called Black Marsha. "Rapping With a Street Transvestite Revolutionary" in Out of the closets: voices of gay liberation. On May 30, 2019, it was announced that Johnson and Sylvia Rivera would be honored with monuments at Greenwich Village, near the site of the Stonewall club. LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer. [59] According to Bob Kohler, Johnson would walk naked up Christopher Street and be taken away for two or three months to be treated with chlorpromazine, an antipsychotic medication. All I want is my freedom. July 6, 1992 Place of Burial: Cremated Cemetery Name: Ashes scattered in the Hudson River Marsha P. Johnson grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, with her mother. [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. "I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen. and AIDS, and gay and transgender rights. Finally, she decided shed make her own fun and started checking out the local scene. That night, she had invited a bunch of her friends, including Rivera, to a party. 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. From the website: "The Marsha P. Johnson Institute (MPJI) protects and defends the human rights of BLACK transgender people. 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. 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. For a while she performed with the drag group Hot Peaches. [69] When asked about religion in the last interview, Johnson said "I use Jesus Christ the most in my prayers, most of the time." STAR provided services including shelter (the first was a trailer truck) to homeless LGBTQ people in New York City, Chicago, California and England for a few years in the early 1970s but eventually disbanded. Best Known For: Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist. "[70], Johnson expressed a relationship with the Divine that was direct and personal, saying in the last interview (June 1992), about leaving home in 1963, "I got the Lord on my side, and I took him to my heart with me and I came to the city, for better or worse. Many eyewitnesses have identified Marsha as one of the main instigators of the uprising and thus, some have recognized her as the vanguard of the gay liberation movement in the United States. According to Matt Foreman, former director of the Anti-Violence Project, "Anti-LGBT violence was at a peak. She waited and waited, but no one showed up. Astrological Sign: Virgo, Death Year: 1992, Death date: July 6, 1992, Death State: New York, Death City: New York City, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Marsha P. Johnson Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/activists/marsha-p-johnson, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: September 9, 2022, Original Published Date: December 14, 2017. In the 1980s Johnson became an AIDS activist and joined ACT UP, an organization formed to bring attention to the AIDS epidemic. 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. Johnson began going to the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, in the late 1960s. [56][57] While the original location of STAR House was evicted in 1971 and the building was destroyed,[54] the household existed in different configurations and at different locations over the years. That same decade, he himself became the first trans man to undergo a phalloplasty. "[73], Near the time of Johnson's death in 1992, Randy Wicker said Johnson was increasingly sick and in a fragile state. Johnson commented, "How many people have died for these two little statues to be put in the park to recognize gay people? Even though the Stonewall riots kick-started this wave of support for the LGBTQ+ community, there was still a lot of discrimination against them. Further, she talks about the impact the person on plaque #1 of the Village AIDS Memorial had on her life: Ed Murphy was the one who put me in the Stonewall Car in 1980; he took me from the back of the parades and put me up-front.. Please support this #LivingMemorial by following on Instagram: JESUS WAS BLACK AND TRANS: Or at least the Jesus of Sheridan Square was Black and Trans. On June 28, 1969, Marsha P. Johnson became one of the faces of the Queer Revolution. [6] Johnson was known as the "mayor of Christopher Street"[13] due to being a welcoming presence in the streets of Greenwich Village. Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries by Leslie Feinberg (2006). Supporting The Marsha P. Johnson Institute. The Uprising spawned the first gay pride marches across the country in 1970. Supporting The Marsha P. Johnson Institute. Marsha was educated in the Elizabeth Public School System and graduated from Thomas A. Edison High School in 1963. In 1970 she cofounded with fellow transgender rights activist Sylvia Rivera the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). LGBTQ people were routinely rousted, hassled, and arrested on questionable charges. It largely focusses on where Marsha's death sits within the wider context of transphobic violence across the USA. If Stonewall and the fight for gay rights was the primary activist cause of the first half of Marshas life, the AIDS pandemic defined the latter half of her life. It includes an interview with Marsha, which was the source of her definitions of drag queen, transvestite, and transsexual, which I quote in our podcast. He's like the spirit that follows me around, you know, and helps me out in my hour of need. the hole in her head). [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. Making Gay History, a queer oral history podcast run by Eric Marcus, includes an interview with Marsha and Randy Wicker, conducted in the late 1980s. The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson - David France's 2017 documentary. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [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. To learn more about Marsha, check out our podcast! Watch It", "Here I am marching with Jon Jon and Miss Marsha one sunny Gay Day. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. "[65], Johnson would also make offerings to the saints and spirits in a more personal manner, keeping a private altar at home when possible. She was 46 at the time of her death. black-and-white photo of Marsha P Johnson. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Take a minute to check out all the enhancements! Initially ruled a suicide, her death has since been ruled a possible homicide. [6], Johnson's body was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992. When the officers attempted to perform an arrest, Johnson hit them with a handbag, which contained two bricks. "[14] In November 2012, activist Mariah Lopez succeeded in getting the New York police department to reopen the case as a possible homicide. Johnson worked to provide food, clothing, emotional support and a sense of family for the young drag queens, trans women, gender nonconformists and other gay street kids living on the Christopher Street docks or in their house on the Lower East Side of New York. 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.. It is important to recognize and celebrate their contributions because People of Color are actively being erased from the historical narrative, and the story of Stonewall is the perfect example: A few years ago, a major studio motion picture with a wide theatrical release received damming accusations of White-washing history, putting at the center of the narrative a young, masculine-presenting, White male and even depicting him as throwing the first brick that began the conflict. Some of the challenges I faced when researching my topic was finding primary sources from people who were a huge part in starting the riot, such as Marsha P Johnson or Sylvia Rivera. Marsha, who was living and working in New York at the time, was one of the key figures who stood up to the police during the raids. At this time, being gay was classified as a mental illness in the United States. Best Known For: Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist. This was the source of a lot of my information about the possible causes of Marshas death. Privacy Policy VideoWatch Newsround - signed and subtitled, Wildflowers fit for a king: Special seeds for schools to mark coronation, County Antrim pupils record special coronation hymn. Johnson was known for her immense generosity. Thats something well be talking about later in the year! When asked by the judge for an explanation for hustling, Johnson claimed to be trying to secure enough money for a tombstone for Johnson's husband. Soul Poem Written and Performed By Marsha P. Johnson, introduced by Jimmy Camicia Cal Goodin 2 subscribers Subscribe 19 Share Save 591 views 2 years ago Soul: You can count your karma If. To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar. She was a leader in the LGBTQ community helping their youth that were struggling with homelessness and discrimination and hate. In June 2019, Johnson was one of the inaugural fifty American "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes" inducted on the, On August 24, 2020, the 75th anniversary of Johnson's birth, the, This page was last edited on 22 April 2023, at 22:09. In 1963, Johnson graduated from Edison High School and promptly moved to New York City with $15 and a bag of clothing. [55], By 1966, Johnson lived on the streets[2] and engaged in survival sex. The particular video which I found useful in getting an understanding of Marsha was this video of people gathered at the memorial created beside the Hudson River in the days after her death. Johnson subsequently joined the Gay Liberation Front, which was a catalyst for the gay rights movement. Notes:[1] Marsha's body was recovered from the Hudson River. This profile is part of anarticlewritten by Cal Goodin for the National Parks Conservation Association.
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