Marsha P. Johnson: The Pioneer of LGBTQ+ Rights

By Avni Chawla

“I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen. That’s what made me in New York, that’s what made me in New Jersey, that’s what made me in the world.”??

Marsha P Johnson was an African American trans woman who championed the idea of LGBTQ rights and was an outspoken advocate of the trans community of colour. She stood for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, those effected by H.I.V. and AIDS, and gay and transgender rights. A brave, courageous and an empowering personality, Johnson showed the world that “we all are brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race.”

Early life

Marsha P Johnson was born on 24th August 1945 to an African American working class family in New Jersey. Despite being assigned male at birth – and since her childhood – she loved wearing dresses and clothes made for women.? However, her self esteem shattered after suffering sexual assault from a thirteen year old boy. This made Marsha leave for New York – with just a bag of clothes and $15 in her hand – as soon as she finished high school.

Becoming the Central figure for the LGBTQ+ community

Once in New York, she changed her name to Marsha P. Johnson – the “P” stood for “Pay It No Mind” – and used she/her pronouns. At that time, gay rights were limited and their activities were frequently criminalised. Finding no other means to live, Johnson turned towards sex work. She was often abused by clients and arrested by the police. Her earnings were very meagre; to make ends meet she had to live in her friend’s homes, hotels, movie theatres etc. and primarily work as a drag queen.

Johnson’s life changed when she found herself engaging with a resistance – which later started the Pride movement – at The Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. Johnson, an epitome of courage and strength, fought since she was angered by the oppression and fear she had to feel everyday as a sex worker. The raid on the Stonewall ironed the gay rights movement with the first gay parade taking place in 1970. Organizations which supported gay rights, for example the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activist Alliance were the forefront of the movement.

However, Johnson was frustrated from the exclusion of transgender and LGBTQ+ people of color from the movement and decided to leave both these organisations. In 1970, Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, a notable transgender activist, founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), “an organization dedicated to sheltering young transgender individuals who were shunned by their families.”

Death and Legacy

In her later years, Johnson was diagnosed with HIV. She spoke about it widely, specially to break the stigma around those who had it. Despite her magnanimous achievements and the transformative role she had on the lives of LGBTQ people, she eventually had a horrible death – her body was found floating in the Hudson River on 6th July 1992.?

Marsha’s impact on society continues to be celebrated and recognised even today. In 2019, New York City announced that Marsha P. Johnson, along with Rivera, would be the first transgender women after whom a monument would be commissioned by the Public Arts Campaign “She Built NYC”. In 2020, New York State named a waterfront park in Brooklyn in her name. Johnson is also now the subject of many documentaries. She remains one of the most admired LGBTQ+ advocates and will always be remembered till generations to come.?

References

“About Marsha P. Johnson – Marsha P. Johnson Memorial – Elizabeth Native and Transgender Activist for LGBTQ+ Rights.” UCNJ.org, https://ucnj.org/mpj/about-marsha-p-johnson/. Accessed 17 July 2022.

Rothberg, Emma. “Marsha P. Johnson.” National Women's History Museum, https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/marsha-p-johnson. Accessed 17 July 2022.

Rothberg, Emma. “Marsha P. Johnson.” National Women's History Museum, https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/marsha-p-johnson. Accessed 17 July 2022.

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