Marsha P. Johnson was a proud and outspoken member of the LGBTQ+ community before it was popular to be so. Even when she found work waiting tables or performing in drag shows, she still made most of her money as a sex worker. Marsha spent most of her life without a permanent home. Rights for LGBTQ+ people were limited and sometimes ignored completely. For Black trans lives especially, is this a time? Lee: How much does class play in all this? Johnson described herself as a gay person, a transvestite, and a drag queen and used she/her pronouns; the term transgender only became commonly used after her death. About, Sylvia Rivera Law Project,https://srlp.org/about/. Marsha P. Johnson. National Womens History Museum, 2022. Marsha P. Johnson | National Women's History Museum Lady Gaga Stonewall Day Speech Transcript 2019: "I Would Take a Nearly 24 young people called the truck home. Unidentified African American woman in uniform, 1861. On multiple occasions, clients pulled guns on Marsha. Honey, I promise you, I'm not. (CHEERING). She also found work waiting tables and performing in drag shows. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. I am a senior. Invite students to research the ways in which Marshas legacy is being remembered today. Transpeople were more likely to be homeless and targeted by police. Episode Compare the lives of Marsha P. Johnson and, Connect Marshas life story to other LGBTQ individuals within, One of Marshas proudest moments was with Andy Warhol. Marsha and Sylvia later formed the Street Transvestite Activist Revolutionaries (STAR). Lee: You know, of course we've had this conversation around feminism and other movements before, whether women who are part of the movement are Black first or are they women first, gender first. To learn more about Randy Wicker and Marsha P. Johnson, click here to access the episode notes from our original episode featuring the two activists. Johnson also became an AIDS activist, later revealing in a 1992 interview that she had been HIV-positive for two years. In 1963, Rivera met Marsha P. Johnson and it changed her life. Meilan Solly, New York City Monument Will Honor Transgender Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, Smithsonian Magazine, June 3, 2019, Hugh Ryan, Power to the People: Exploring Marsha P. Johnsons Queer Liberation,. When we're talking to white people about white supremacy, we could say, "Read how to be an antiracist," right? Police then reclassified the case as a drowning from undetermined cause, but the LGBTQ+ community was furious that the police refused to investigate further and that many press outlets did not cover her death. There's still a lot of behind-the-scenes educating that has to happen for cis people who don't understand transness or gender nonconformity. If I can't even get the people closest to me to understand what's going on, how am I gonna get the masses to get it?" I don't relish in these ideas of being the first, or being a token, or being an only. Since the term transgender wasnt used during her time, she identified as gay, transvestite and as a drag queen, using the pronouns she/her. WebMarsha was an eccentric woman who was known for her exotic hats and jewelry which stood out to the public and attracted attention to her. Perry, Ana, Sylvia Rivera: Activist and Trailblazer, Face to Face Blog, National Portrait Gallery,https://npg.si.edu/blog/welcome-collection-sylvia-rivera. The first pride parades started in 1970, but Rivera and other transgender people were discriminated against and discouraged from participating. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. 'Cause we're all caught up in it. The Importance of Dialogue, Development and Acceptance What and who does she represent and why is this important? I think about our media outlets and how often we don't have spaces like this, Trymaine, where a Black trans woman can come on and be in dialogue with a Black cis man about the state of the world. We went out and hustled the streets. And so for me it's been very important to always be a Black trans woman when I come into spaces. It was not easy to live on the margins. Jen Carlson, Activists Install Marsha P. Johnson Monument in Christopher Park, Gothamist, August 25, 2021. reinc: The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. Lee: I'm Trymaine Lee, and this is Into America. Chicago Rothberg, Emma. Willis: I think that we need all the allies. As they watched their kids jump from a moving truck, Marsha and Sylvia realized they needed a real home. [3]These transgender icons will be the first to get statues in the US Johnson became known as much for her activism as for her attention-grabbing wardrobe, often complete with red plastic heels, colorful wigs and flowers and fruit in her hair. Alexander Street is an imprint of ProQuest that promotes teaching, research, Willis: I don't think so. With public installations already being implemented, the plan is to complete renovations by 2021. The raid on Stonewall galvanized the gay rights movement. At her funeral, hundreds of people showed up at the church; it was so crowded that people stood on the street. For example, dancing with a person of the same sex as well as cross-dressing were illegal. If you walked down Christopher Street, Marsha would receive you in the manner of a gracious host. After graduating high school, Marsha moved to New York City with only $15 and a bag of clothes. Explore our collection of the best LGBTQ+ Pride quotes. WebOn what would have been Marsha P Johnsons 77th birthday, the founder of the institute that bears her name discusses her powerful, often misunderstood legacy. She sometimes lived with friends. In 1975, artist Andy Warhol crossed paths with Marsha and photographed her for his Ladies and Gentleman series. As one of the leaders of the Stonewall Inn uprising, the Black transgender woman was an early activist for LGBTQ+ rights in New York City. The story of a leader in social, environmental, and political activism and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Willis: Of course. Invite students to research recent activism around the extreme violence that trans women of color continue to face. Why do you think Marshas life has started to gain more attention in recent years? Soul Poem Written and Performed By Marsha P. Johnson As he entered activism, community organizing, and politics, Milk became known as a champion of the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, minorities, immigrants, women, and children. And so Black women in general have had to fight against this restrictive idea of womanhood that has been contingent on a white bourgeois imagination. Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor: Culinary Anthropologist, Towards Hawaiian Sovereignty: Legacy of Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask, Dr. Wangari Maathai: The story of a leader in social, environmental, and political activism and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Chronicles of American Women: Your History Makers, Women Writing History: A Coronavirus Journaling Project, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, Learning Resources on Women's Political Participation, Defying Expectations: Unsung Hero: Marsha P. Johnson and the Stonewall Riots, https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/who-was-marsha-p-johnson, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/, https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/2017/8/24/power-people-exploring-marsha-p-johnsons-queer-liberation, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/obituaries/overlooked-marsha-p-johnson.html?mtrref=&mtrref=undefined&gwh=7FAC77AD0450CB8215713140B8184F62&gwt=regi&assetType=REGIWALL, https://wams.nyhistory.org/growth-and-turmoil/growing-tensions/marsha-p-johnson/#:~:text=After%20graduating%20high%20school%2C%20Marsha,to%20questions%20about%20her%20gender, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/marsha-p-johnson, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera, https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/marsha-p-johnson-statue-bust-christopher-park. May 31, 2022 6:30 AM. Marsha P. Johnson never self-identified with the term transgender, but the term was also not in broad use while she was alive. [2]Two Transgender Activists Are Getting a Monument in New York She spoke publicly about her diagnosis and how people should not be afraid of those with the disease in a June 26, 1992 interview. To make ends meet, she became a sex worker often getting arrested, losing count after the 100th incident. We should not be ashamed of who we are. Marsha P. Johnson, Id like to see the gay revolution get started If a transvestite doesnt say Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite, then nobody else is going to hop up there and say Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite for them. Marsha P. Johnson, Darling, I want my gay rights now! Marsha P. Johnson. When the organizers of the gay pride parade tried to ban STAR, they showed up anyway. Dunlap, David W., Sylvia Rivera, 50, Figure in Birth of the Gay Liberation Movement,New York Times, February 20, 2002,https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/20/nyregion/sylvia-rivera-50-figure-in-birth-of-the-gay-liberation-movement.html. Turns out we're not there. That night, police officers raided the gay bar. While the genesis of the Stonewall Inn uprising remains shrouded in myth, theres no doubt Johnson was a key figure leading the events of June 28, 1969 some even credit her with throwing the shot glass heard around the world that started the rebellion. 2021.www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera. I mean, how often does that happen? The first STAR House was in the back of an abandoned truck in Greenwich Village. And then our families, right? 2022. The riots had already started, and they said the police went in there and set the place on fire. Lets take a journey through a deeply inspiring and WebMarsha was a fixture in the West Village, known and adored by everybody. To honor Johnsons life, public art will be included and interpretive park signage throughout the park will share her story. Hope y'all enjoy the long holiday weekend. Willis: I don't think so. But I'll be honest. I've been around them for years, from working the streets. And we saw just from the turnout for the Rally for Black Trans Lives that there is momentum there also. Police are treating her death as a homicide. It was about the oppression and fear they felt every single day. It happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities., On Equality: How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race?, On Motivation: Darling, I want my gay rights now. Lee: This is from a 1989 interview with journalist Eric Marcus. In 2021, New York City will unveil a monument to Rivera and Johnson. She used she/her pronouns. Marsha was part of a growing community of LGBTQ youth who sought acceptance in New York City. But in the 1950s and 1960s, LGBTQ peoples rights were strictly limited. For example, dancing with a person of the same sex as well as cross-dressing were illegal. She spoke publicly about it and told people she hoped they would not be afraid of those who had the disease. MARSHA P A person who identifies with the sex they were assigned at birth. WebToday, historians and former friends of Marsha describe her as a trans woman. Look no further than our guide. WebMarsha P. Johnson, transgender activist and urban legend, was never one to mince words. Marsha P. Johnson When they could no longer pay, they were evicted. So if we're gonna say we're getting rid of prisons, we're defunding the police, which I support, we have to be just as much or maybe more invested in building up the consciousness of our people to be able to actually hold those people who commit harm and abuse accountable in the ways that we need them to be held accountable. Speaking of white women, (LAUGH) and as we know that white women played a role in white supremacy and have always played a reinforcing role in that and also a role in the patriarchy, right? Solly, Meilan, New York City Monument Will Honor Transgender Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, Smithsonianmag.org, June 3, 2019,https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/. Throughout her life, she fought against the exclusion of transgender people, especially transgender people of color, from the larger movement for gay rights. You can't say that it's about having a particular set of chromosomes. [2] The permanent installation will be built in Greenwich Village, in a location to be determined after conversations with the community. But Johnson spent much of her life being ostracised by society. She was the fifth of seven children born to Malcolm Michaels Sr. and Alberta Claiborne. Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, mission specialist, carries her son Wilson Miles-Ochoa following the STS-96 crew return at Ellington Field. Sylvia Rivera | National Women's History Museum Not long after moving to New York, then 17-year-old Johnson met 11-year-old Sylvia Rivera. "Don't you got money to make?". I think its about time the gay brothers and sisters got their rights especially the women., On Embracing Her Identity: Id like to see the gay revolution get started If a transvestite doesnt say 'Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite,' then nobody else is going to hop up there and say 'Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite' for them., On Human Rights: You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights. Franois (Franz) Fleischbein (artist), Portrait of Betsy, 1837. New York State still persecuted gay people and frequently criminalized their activities and presence. On every level, Black cis folks are not doing enough to show up in new and expansive ways around gender and it's a problem. However, Johnson also found a community in the city, especially after meeting Latina drag queen Sylvia Rivera. I actually think we're more powerful when we have numbers. I walked down 58th Street and the young ones were calling from the sidewalk, 'Sylvia, Sylvia, thank you, we know what you did. Here are 14 quotes from Johnson that capture her spirit and endless passion for LGBTQ+ rights: On Coming of Age: I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen. Much of Marshas life story has been pieced together through interviews featured in the documentary. Currently, LGTBQ+ monuments are not among the Citys public statues. reinc: The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. Chien-shiung Wu (1912-1997), professor of physics at Columbia University, 1963. The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson Review | Tribeca 2017 You know? ' In 2001, she was marching in New York City Pride Parades and living in Transy House. On July 6, 1992, Johnsons body was found in the Hudson River. You say Marsha P. Johnson, and people who don't know, she was so about it, right, and so about the work. As the gay liberation movement became increasingly white, middle class, and cisgender, STAR reminded everyone that transgender and gender non-conforming people deserved equal rights too. Given what many are seeing as the historic nature of this speech out of left field from the blue dog democrat, this is not something you are going to want to How did Marsha feel about this? How did Marsha embody her Pay It No Mind name? Note: Marshas life story includes a large amount of vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to teachers and students. I really appreciate it. Jarena Lee, 1849. Rivera said in an interview in 2001 that while she did not throw the first Molotov cocktail at the police (a long-enduring myth), she did throw the second. At Marshas funeral, hundreds of people showed up. What does this make you think and feel? Despite her popularity, Marsha also lived a life of poverty and danger. Marshas whole life seemed to be a balance between popularity and exclusion. She started Transy House, modeled off STAR House, in 1997 in Park Slope, Brooklyn. And yet we have to contend with the fact that even if there was a clear story, which there rarely is for any victim, particularly if you're Black, he would not have gotten any more attention from most people because people have a bias against trans folks. You know, at every level there's a systemic transphobia that is not being addressed. The two became instant friends. 1890. Image Credit:Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Ron Simmons. Willis: I think it's all of the above. She said in a 1989 interview that, Before gay rights, before the Stonewall, I was involved in the Black Liberation movement, the peace movementI felt I had the time and I knew that I had to do something. Pay It No Mind: Marsha P. Johnson | Alexander Street, part of Gertrude Kasebier (photographer), Zitkala Sa, Sioux Indian and activist, c. 1898. Johnson grew up in a religious family and began attending Mount Teman African Methodist Episcopal Church as a child; she remained a practicing Christian for the rest of her life. says peoples pronouns should Are we seeing a little bit of that now? Marsha P. Johnson was an African-American, activist from New Jersey, whose work in the 1960's and 70's had a huge impact on the LGBTQ+ community. Oportunidades Iguales Para Las Mujeres En El Trabajo y La Educaccion, Womens Strike for Equality, New York, Fifth Avenue, 1970, Eugene Gordon photograph collection, 1970-1990. Lee: What do you think it would take to get that kind of allegiance, especially among Black folks, right? Raquel Willis: There's this idea that because we are having an openly different gender experience, that we deserve the abuse that we may receive. or a search for the Black Trans Lives Matter movement. Jen Carlson, Activists Install Marsha P. Johnson Monument in Christopher Park, Gothamist, August 25, 2021, https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/marsha-p-johnson-statue-bust-christopher-park, The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, https://marshap.org/, By Emma Rothberg, Ph.D. | Associate Educator, Digital Learning and Innovation. We are a movement. And from those earliest days, people had concerns about Black folks, brown folks, people who are incarcerated, and of course trans people because we were seen as not in line with some of the assimilationist goals of many of those early movement figures. Unknown photographer, A Typical Boomer Family, ca. Immediately after graduating from Thomas A. Edison High School, Johnson moved to New York City with one bag of clothes and $15. But I will say I don't think that this is just a moment for Black trans people. But life didnt start out fearlessly for Johnson. A lot of times Ive reached my hand out to people in the gay community that just didnt have nobody to help them when they were down and out., On Her Own Legacy: They call me a legend in my own time, because there were so many queens gone that Im one of the few queens left from the 70s and the 80s., .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. You can't say that it's about having a particular set of body, you know, thinking of the many women I know who have had hysterectomies, right? Leonard Fink / LGBT Community Center Archive. MARSHA P. JOHNSON "You Gotta Have Soul !" - YouTube is a 2017 fictional short film that imagines the gay and transgender rights pioneers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in the hours that led up to the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. What tensions existed within the gay liberation movement? Johnson was involved in the early days of both but grew frustrated by the exclusion of transgender and LGBTQ+ people of color from the movement. The police officers ruled her death a suicide. Raised by her grandmother, Rivera began experimenting with clothing and makeup at a young age. How can food be used as a form of cultural memory & resistance? Throughout the 1970s, Johnson became a more visible and prominent member of the gay rights movement. History isnt something you look back at and say it was inevitable, it happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities. Marsha P. Johnson, How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? And when you think about people like J.K. Rowling, and I want to read this quote, she said, quote, "If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased." But when it comes to this kind of allyship, especially when we're talking about Black people, right, what does it take? What were the circumstances around Marshas death? Almost 30 years on from her death, Johnson is getting the attention she was denied when she was alive, with tales of The best email in your inbox.Filled with the days best good news. The Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA), New York State Office of the Attorney General,https://ag.ny.gov/civil-rights/sonda-brochure. Crowd: Black trans lives matter. no. Willis: First of all, anytime a celebrity tweets, I'm like, "How you got time for this?" So, like, what are you doin'? . Sewall Chan, Marsha P. Johnson, Overlooked. TRANSCRIPT Lee: I always wonder, and I had been a police reporter for a long time, so I've covered all kinds of crimes. Their rage was not just about the police. Lee: You know, I don't want to either/or it or make it too reductive or too simple. The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. That interview originally appeared on his show, Making Gay History. I'm a senior and I'm a certified Johnny Byrum fan. Rivera frequently experienced homelessness and had problems with substance abuse. Now they are getting a statue in New York The store owners called her riffraff and threw her out. The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. It feels like a different time. And in these moments where we see people rising up, and we see coalition building, and we see people coming together in the name of equality, do you believe in this moment that there is a true chance that we'll step closer to the equality that folks claim (LAUGH) they believe in? WebTo the brave souls who came before us, Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Harvey Milk, Audre Lord, and igniting the fight for all of us. Thank you for having me. Why did Marsha move to New York City? I think when you're close to people it does hurt in a particular way. In one account, she started the uprising by throwing a shot glass at a mirror. Screen excerpts from this film so that students can hear directly from Marsha and the people in her life. I feel like what fuels a lot of the violence that may happen from Black men towards Black women comes from an innate feeling of not being man enough for whatever reason. Smithsonian Institute Archives Image # SIA 2010-1509. Willis: No. But I don't like straight men. Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City. Together, they started raising their voices. A performance artist who typically dresses up like a woman for entertainment purposes. So it has been intentional, and it is still intentional today. MLA Rothberg, Emma. Willis, Raquel, How Sylvia Rivera Created the Blueprint for Transgender Organizing,Out Magazine,May 21, 2019,https://www.out.com/pride/2019/5/21/how-sylvia-rivera-created-blueprint-transgender-organizing. She grabbed the microphone anyway, telling the spectators and other marchers, If it wasnt for the drag queen, there would be no gay liberation movement. But the impact of STAR had already been felt by many. When a Warhol screen-print of Marsha went on display in a Greenwich Village store, Marsha took some friends to see it. The Historic New Orleans Collection, acc. Throughout the 1970s, she frequently tangled with gay rights leaders who were hesitant to include transgender people in their advocacy work. And just as there's that education, there's also the education on whiteness. Lee: Are we seeing that? Looking for ideas on how you can celebrate Pride Month? Photo by Leonard Fink, Courtesy LGBT Community Center National History Archive, Leonard Fink, Courtesy of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Soon, Marsha was attending rallies, sit-ins, and meetings of the newly formed Gay Liberation Front. But when it comes to Black trans life and death and the violence heaped upon them, it comes likely from inside the community. 13 Powerful Marsha P. Johnson Quotes - Biography The full episode transcript for Into Black Trans Liberation. And I didn't get downtown till about 2:00. Sylvia was a Puerto Rican trans woman who was also new to New York. At one point, Rivera attempted suicide. Her father was absent and her mother died by suicide when Rivera was 3 years old. Throughout Greenwich Village, she was known as Saint Marsha. Locals admired her ability to truly be herself. Describe Marshas and Sylvias friendship. And so when I think about womanhood, we have to be expansive with all of these gender categories. And we were all out there. 2022. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/marsha-p-johnson. Looking for more quotes? In 1970, Johnson and Rivera founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an organization dedicated to sheltering young transgender individuals who were shunned by their families. The two also began STAR House, a place where transgender youth could stay and feel safe. Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera - National Park Service Johnson is also now the subject of many documentaries. Emma Rothberg, Sylvia Rivera, National Womens History Museum, 2021. Lee: How do you move through these movement spaces that, you know, the bounds of white supremacy are still there? Ask them to think about the kind of monument or memorial they would want to create for Marsha, based on her life story. She never let her personal setbacks stop her advocacy. Once, she was even shot. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. As the fifth of seven children of a General Motors assembly line worker and a housekeeper, Johnson was about five years old when she began wearing dresses, but was often harassed by other children. The Rudy Grillo Collection, Rudy Grillo / LGBT Community Center Archive. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Content Warning: This resource addresses physical and sexual violence. The Stonewall Inn uprising was also a turning point in the visibility of the gay rights movement. When you hear J.K. Rowling saying that, what's your response to that? What challenges did she face there? Shes said that the town had zero tolerance for LGBTQ people and as a To celebrate Pride month and to honor the current protests in our country, here are nine of Marsha P. Johnson's most timeless quotes. A heads up: some of the fan-made artwork is available for purchase and goes towards a good cause. RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU "I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville, until I became a drag queen."