[69] When asked about religion in the last interview, Johnson said "I use Jesus Christ the most in my prayers, most of the time." Pay It No Mind - The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson - Thanks to the wisdom of Tony Nunziata, Jimmy Camicia, Richard Morrison, and Larry Show more Show more 55:56 Frameline Voices - Pay. Homeless, she turned to prostitution to survive and soon found a like-minded community in the bawdy nightlife of Christopher Street. He began wearing girls clothing at a young age, but, after neighborhood children bullied him, he stopped. LGBTQ people were routinely rousted, hassled, and arrested on questionable charges. [29] Also discussed are Johnson's experiences of the dangers of working as a street prostitute in drag, and Johnson's husband who was murdered. Finding Primary Sources | Getting Started with Primary Sources About MPJI - Marsha P. Johnson Institute Marsha was educated in the Elizabeth Public School System and graduated from Thomas A. Edison High School in 1963. She chose Johnson because she enjoyed hanging out at the popular eatery, Howard Johnsons. That night, she had invited a bunch of her friends, including Rivera, to a party. [26] Johnson said the phrase once to a judge, who was amused by it, leading to Johnson's release. [11] On the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall uprising occurred. [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. The Marsha P. Johnson Institute (MPJI) protects and defends the human rights of BLACK transgender people. [6] Johnson was known as the "mayor of Christopher Street"[13] due to being a welcoming presence in the streets of Greenwich Village. Johnson. [74][13], Several people came forward to say they had seen Johnson harassed by a group of "thugs" who had also robbed people. She was joyous and creative and enjoyed performing. Marsha P. Johnson | stonewall50.sites.uiowa.edu - University of Iowa Plaque #1: A gay rights activist since the 60s known to many as the Mayor of Christopher Street, Edward Francis Murphy is credited with organizing the celebrations that annually follows the NYC Gay Pride Parade, an event now rebranded as PrideFest that is observed world-wide. [72] Agosto Machado continues, "She was making offerings of flowers and change to King Neptune as an appeasement to help her friends who are on the other side. The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson - David France's 2017 documentary. Download the official NPS app before your next visit, Gay liberation activist, AIDS activist, performer, seven-acre waterfront park in Brooklyn to Marsha P. Johnson. [40], While the photos of Johnson in dramatic, femme ensembles are the most well-known, there are also photos and film footage of Johnson dressed down in more daily wear of jeans and a flannel shirt and cap,[41] or in shorts and a tank top, and no wig, such as at the Christopher Street Liberation March in 1979,[42] or singing with the New York City Gay Men's Chorus at an AIDS memorial in the 1980s,[43] or marching in a protest in Greenwich Village in 1992. [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. During a tempestuous Christian childhood, around the age of five, Johnson began to dress as a girl. Police allowed Seventh Avenue to be closed while Johnson's ashes were carried to the river. This page also includes a transcript and a lot of links to further resources about Marsha and Randy. Johnson variably identified as gay, as a transvestite, and as a queen (referring to drag queen or "street queen"). "[62] In response, marches were organized, and Johnson was one of the activists who marched in the streets, demanding justice. Johnson and Rivera were key players in the 1969 New York riots, which historians say ignited the modern LGBTQ rights movement. 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. An early ACT UP member and AIDS activist, Johnson also became a victim of the disease. In the 1980s Johnson became an AIDS activist and joined ACT UP, an organization formed to bring attention to the AIDS epidemic. 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. She is wearing pearls and has her hair in an up-do decorated with flowers and feathers, Michael Dillon in his merchant navy uniform. 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. "[71] "I believe [Jesus is] the only man I can truly trust. 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. Its available on Netflix. A neighbor also said Johnson would pray, prostrate on the floor in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary, in the church across from Randy Wicker's apartment (where Johnson lived in later years). After visiting David and other friends with the virus in the hospital during the AIDS pandemic, Johnson, who was also HIV-positive, became committed to sitting with the sick and dying, as well as doing street activism with AIDS activist groups including ACT UP. Research Guides: LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide: Activism When the officers attempted to perform an arrest, Johnson hit them with a handbag, which contained two bricks. 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.. Johnson is often credited with throwing the first stone after. The main articles which I used when reading up on this can be found here, here, and here. Others said they saw Marsha being harassed by a group of "thugs" a few days before they died. Marsha picketing Bellevue Hospital to protest their treatment of queer people c.1970, holding a sign reading Power to the people. [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". She made intricate outfits out of garbage, modeled for Andy Warhol and wrote poetry. Pride Month: Who was Marsha P. Johnson and why were they so - BBC It largely focusses on where Marsha's death sits within the wider context of transphobic violence across the USA. "I've been involved in gay liberation ever since it first started in 1969", 15:20 into the interview, Johnson is quoted as saying this. If you cant wait until tomorrow, have a listen to our episodes on Marsha P. Johnson and Storm DeLarverie, wholl both be featured (as well as Harvey Milk for an unexpected cameo!). From the website: "The Marsha P. Johnson Institute (MPJI) protects and defends the human rights of BLACK transgender people. [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. As the nascent Gay Rights movement swirled around her, Johnson fought social mores, the police, and her own demons. 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. [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". Marsha P. Johnson ARCC Its mission is to defend and protect the human rights of transgender and gender nonconforming communities. 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. Britannica does not review the converted text. ", "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. The police forced over 200 people out of the bar and onto the streets, and then used excessive violence against them. treatment they underwent to affirm their gender identity. Soul Poem Written and Performed By Marsha P. Johnson - YouTube Marsha was born Malcolm Michaels in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1945. . All I want is my freedom. and AIDS, and gay and transgender rights. In honour of their upcoming 50th anniversary, well be talking about the Stonewall Riots. "[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. [80] Randy Wicker later said that Johnson may have hallucinated and walked into the river, or may have jumped into the river to escape harassers, but stated that Johnson was never suicidal. It was common for young gay and trans people to be kicked out of their family homes by their parents. [61] When Wicker's lover, David, became terminally ill with AIDS, Johnson became his caregiver. .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. 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. 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. The police ruled she had committed suicide despite claims from her friends and other members of the local community that she was not suicidal. "[68] In the summer of 1991, Johnson participated in the interfaith AIDS memorial service at the Church of Saint Veronica in Greenwich Village. Shed spend her meager earnings on meals for others and couldnt walk downtown without multiple people calling her name, wishing her well. 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. 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. "[20], There is some existing footage of Johnson doing full, glamorous, "high drag" on stage, but most of Johnson's performance work was with groups that were more grassroots, comedic, and political. She was tragically found dead on July 6, 1992 at the age of 46. Contact Us In 2012 the police, under renewed public pressure, reopened the case. This book talks about STAR in the context of other queer movements in New York at the time, including the GAA and GLF On p.36 youll find the list of STARs political goals which I referenced. "[29] Johnson distinguishes this from transsexual, defining transsexuals as those who are on hormones and getting surgery. I mean how many years does it take for people to see that we're all in this rat race together. [37][36] In 1990, Johnson performed with The Hot Peaches in London. June is Pride Month, where people all over the world come together to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and raise awareness for inequalities that still stand today. 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. 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. (1945-92). These cookies do not store any personal information. It includes information and quotes from interviews with Marsha not found elsewhere. [45] Souza told the Gay Activists Alliance shortly afterwards that it "was the shot glass that was heard around the world". To learn more about Marsha, check out our podcast! [12] Johnson was also a popular figure in New York City's gay and art scene, modeling for Andy Warhol, and performing onstage with the drag performance troupe Hot Peaches. Pride: What is it and why do people celebrate it? [55], By 1966, Johnson lived on the streets[2] and engaged in survival sex. Our episode on drag queen and activist Marsha P. Johnson is coming out tomorrow! Top Photo Credits: Photograph of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera by Rudy Grillo, c . Marsha P. Johnson Institute - Marsha P. Johnson Institute Were very excited and we cant wait to share this with you! across the USA. Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992) - BlackPast.org Throughout her life Johnson suffered from mental illness and was in and out of psychiatric hospitals. Video, County Antrim pupils record special coronation hymn. 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. 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. [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. In 1963, Johnson graduated from Edison High School and promptly moved to New York City with $15 and a bag of clothing. In 2019, the head of New York's Police Department apologised for their actions, saying, "the actions taken by the NYPD were wrong". [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. The two of them became a visible presence at gay liberation marches and other radical political actions. Sadly, at the age of 46, on July 6, 1992, Johnsons body was found in the Hudson River off the West Village Piers. [23][24] After Johnson began hanging out with the street hustlers near the Howard Johnson's at 6th Avenue and 8th Street, their life changed. [58] In connection with sex work, Johnson claimed to have been arrested over 100 times, and was also shot once, in the late 1970s. 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. There Johnson began frequenting bars and nightclubs dressed as a female called Black Marsha. The witness said that when he tried to tell police what he had seen his story was ignored. [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. We were young enough to believe we could change the world. "[73], Near the time of Johnson's death in 1992, Randy Wicker said Johnson was increasingly sick and in a fragile state. (2017). The Journalism in Action website allows students to investigate the role journalism has played in U.S. history and what it . Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com". [39], In David France's documentary, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, Johnson is seen participating in a 1980s memorial service and action for those who've died of AIDS, along with members of the Gay Men's Health Crisis. Marsha P. Johnson grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, with her mother. 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 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. Marsha P. Johnson was a trans-rights activist who played a big role in important moments for the LGBTQ+ movement, such as the Stonewall protests. This Astrological. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Community Standards She stated that the middle initial stood for pay it no mind, a phrase she often used when questioned about her gender or lifestyle. Marsha P. Johnson. Johnson began going to the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, in the late 1960s. Rican trans woman Victoria Cruz. Who Is Trans TikTok Influencer Dylan Mulvaney? According to Marshas roommate, gay rights activist Randy Wicker, someone stepped forward claiming to be an eyewitness to the murder of Marsha P. Johnson, but his testimony was ignored by investigators. [6], Johnson's body was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992. [Image: And he said, 'You know, you might wind up with nothing.' 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. But many friends argued this ruling at the time, saying attacks on gay and trans people were common. "I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen. [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". To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar. For instance, Rivera insisted on claiming transvestite solely for use by gay people, writing in the essay "Transvestites: Your Half Sisters and Half Brothers of the Revolution", "Transvestites are homosexual men and women who dress in clothes of the opposite sex. Copyright 2019 Marsha P. Johnson Institute. [22], After graduating from Edison High School (now the Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Academy) in Elizabeth in 1963, Johnson left home for New York City with $15 and a bag of clothes. "[72] Johnson succeeded in pulling Kohler's shirt off and throwing it into the Hudson River. However, she found joy as a drag queen amidst the nightlife of Christopher Street. 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. L002A Intro 475 Marsha P Johnson interviewed by Betty Brown 4 27 73 Video, County Antrim pupils record special coronation hymn. She is wearing pearls and has her hair in an up-do decorated with flowers and feathers.]. 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. "[65], Johnson would also make offerings to the saints and spirits in a more personal manner, keeping a private altar at home when possible. Upon returning, the medication would wear off over the course of one month and Johnson would then return to normal. The police initially declared her death a suicide and then agreed to reopen the case in 2012. VideoCounty Antrim pupils record special coronation hymn. Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops. She had nothing to lose. MPJI in the news - Marsha P. Johnson Institute [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. Earlier this year, New York Gov. An eccentric woman known for her outlandish hats and glamorous jewelry, she was fearless and bold. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. 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. About Marsha P. Johnson - Marsha P. Johnson Memorial - Elizabeth Native