The police forced over 200 people out of the bar and onto the streets, and then used excessive violence against them. Johnson is often credited with throwing the first stone after. [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. MPJI supports artists and . "I want people to stand beneath the halo and know that they can be like her. 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. She was tragically found dead on July 6, 1992 at the age of 46. 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. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Initially ruled a suicide, her death has since been ruled a possible homicide. 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.. 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. 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. She was a Catholic with a strong sense of faith. And we were all like, Oh my God! They just dropped her. The police ruled her death a suicide, although friends and family cited a lack of evidence supporting that claim. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. When the officers attempted to perform an arrest, Johnson hit them with a handbag, which contained two bricks. Considering the proximity that the Church of Saint Veronica has to the Stonewall Inn, its important to recognize that it was Trans, non-binary, and Queer People of Color who initiated and led the uprising that began on June 28, 1969, and that lasted throughout the following six days and nights, ultimately sparking the birth of the Gay Liberation Movement. [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. The main articles which I used when reading up on this can be found here, here, and here. [27], The definitions used by Rivera and Johnson were not always the same as those documented in the more mainstream literature of the era. If you listened to our podcast on the Stonewall Riots, and youre keen to learn more, heres a list of the sources that I used when researching the episode. I also recommend this one in particular if youd like a very in-depth look at the claims and evidence involved. Have students read the statement silently or out loud as a class. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. 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. In New York, Marsha struggled to make ends meet. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. In addition to soup kitchens, the Church of Saint Veronica hosted gay Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, and a food hall serving breakfast and lunch to over 40 AIDS patients at a time. She was seen dropping a very heavy object on top of a police car, among other actions. After graduating from Thomas A. Edison High School in 1963, Johnson moved to New Yorks Greenwich Village. 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. A pair of women seated, two men standing, with nothing really explicitly gay about any of them. This documentary follows the investigation of Marsha's death by Puerto Rican trans woman Victoria Cruz. Others said they saw Marsha being harassed by a group of "thugs" a few days before they died. 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. It was like Oh my God. [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. Sources:Goodin, Cal. Johnson variably identified as gay, as a transvestite, and as a queen (referring to drag queen or "street queen"). Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops. The P purportedly stands for Pay It No Mind, a flippant saying she used to dismiss antagonists. [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. Marsha said the "P" stood for "Pay it no mind" - a phrase they used when people commented negatively on their appearance or life choices. Database on-line. In 2012 the police, under renewed public pressure, reopened the case. All rights reserved. Johnson would go on to create a trans rights group with Sylvia Rivera called Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). We can be as active and resilient as Marsha P. Johnson because our fights are far from over." 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. [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. After the funeral, a series of demonstrations and marches to the police precinct took place, to demand justice for Johnson. 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. Johnson designed all of her own costumes (mostly from thrift shops). 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. 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. Podcast unearths earliest known recordings of trans icons Marsha P 'Cause you know, me and Jesus is always talking. [35] In 1973, Johnson performed the role of "The Gypsy Queen" in the Angels' production, "The Enchanted Miracle", about the Comet Kohoutek. Module 5 Discussion - The topic I chose is the Stonewall Riot - Studocu "[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. Its available on Netflix. [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. 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. [44] During those moments when Johnson's violent side emerged, according to an acquaintance Robert Heide, Johnson could be aggressive and short-tempered and speak in a deeper voice and, as Malcolm, would "become a very nasty, vicious man, looking for fights". Pay It No Mind - The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson Free to Use and Reuse Sets - Batches of primary sources on engaging topics. Video, County Antrim pupils record special coronation hymn. LGBTQ Seniors, College Students Come Together In Lakeview Art Exhibit Marsha is honored as a Stonewall instigator, a drag queen, an Andy Warhol model, an actress and a revolutionary trans activist. She is wearing pearls and has her hair in an up-do decorated with flowers and feathers, Michael Dillon in his merchant navy uniform. For more information specifically on STAR, Id encourage you to check out: Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries: Survival, Revolt, and Queer Antagonist Struggle. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. [14], Johnson was born Malcolm Michaels Jr. on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. 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. Marsha P. Johnson was a woman before her time. 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. She had nothing to lose. She stated that the middle initial stood for pay it no mind, a phrase she often used when questioned about her gender or lifestyle. In 2019, the head of New York's Police Department apologised for their actions, saying, "the actions taken by the NYPD were wrong". In reality, she didnt arrive at Stonewall until about 2 a.m., long after the uprising began. 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. 1945-1992 The fifth of seven children, Marsha was born Malcolm Michaels Jr. to Malcolm Michaels Sr. and Alberta (Claiborne) Michaels on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. [11], Johnson was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and co-founded the radical activist group Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R. Twenty years later, in 2012, campaigner Mariah Lopez was successful in getting the New York police department to reopen Marsha's case as a possible murder. She is wearing pearls and has her hair in an up-do decorated with flowers and feathers.]. As I mentioned in the podcast, there has been significant controversy surrounding this documentary, and theres plenty of information about that online. 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. [5] Johnson waited tables after moving to Greenwich Village in 1966. 580 volunteers each say one of the names from the 580 plaques of the #VillageAIDSMemorial.
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