MARSHA P. JOHNSON
BY ABBY JOYNER ILLUSTRATION BY EMMA MCADAMS
On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall riots began in New York City. This historic moment catapulted the fight for LGBTQ+ equality in the United States. At the forefront of this movement was Marsha P. Johnson, an African-American transgender woman.
Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Despite being assigned male at birth, Johnson enjoyed dressing up in women’s clothing from a young age. However, this love of feminine clothing had ramifications for Johnson, as she lived in a Christian household.
The harsh criticism she faced from family and classmates for her gender expression caused Johnson to move to New York City alone after graduating high school. According to the National Women’s History Museum, Johnson only owned, “one bag of clothes and $15,'' when she moved out. In New York, she struggled to stay financially afloat and was often homeless. She resorted to sex work to make ends meet and ultimately began working as a drag queen in LGBTQ+ clubs on Christopher Street, a well-known outlet for queer nightlife at the time.
It was in these clubs that Johnson found her community. In a 1992 interview, she said, “I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen.” After joining the queer scene, she changed her name to Marsha P. Johnson. These spaces allowed Johnson to express herself free from judgment. She was crafty, fashioning all her own costumes for performances. These would be made of thrift-store finds, yet still evoked elegance, vibrancy, and passion. In one photo, the activist dons draping gold fabric, grandiose gold earrings, a red feather boa, and a chic tilted black hat, reminiscent of a Schiaparelli model. Her iconic flower crown features a plethora of colors and speaks to the colors and joy associated with pride in the queer community.
Johnson became heavily involved in LGBTQ+ activism, fighting for rights for transgender individuals, especially those of color. Despite the welcoming community she found within the queer spaces of New York City, the rest of the world still did not accept her identity. Her existence was seen as a political statement. She was often arrested by police. When questioned by the police, her catchphrase, “pay it no mind,” was coined, which she says the “P” in her name stands for. Thus, when the riots and protests at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street began, Johnson could be found leading the charge against queer oppression.
Alongside her friend Sylvia Rivera, a Puerto Rican transgender girl also struggling through the dangerous streets of New York, Johnson motivated many facets of the gay rights movement in America. She co-founded STAR, the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, with Rivera. This organization provided aid to transgender youths in California, Chicago, England, and New York City.
Johnson’s advocacy persisted through the 1970s and 1980s as she continued to speak out against injustices against the queer community, especially regarding the AIDS epidemic. Her work is the reason Pride parades still exist in the 2020s.
Tragically, on July 6, 1992 at age 46, Marsha P. Johnson was found dead in the Hudson River. Through her enthusiastic activism and unrelenting desire for better treatment of queer individuals, she was a revolutionary for the LGBTQ+ community and her work continues to push the momentum to fight for LGBTQ+ equality today.
