Herstory - Issue 1: Marsha P Johnson

Marsha P Johnson, NYC Pride Parade, 1980

Photographed by Ron Simmons

Introducing Herstory – Woman of the Week! Each week I’ll be sharing the lives of inspirational women throughout history. Intersectionality is central to She’s Progressive, so we will be exploring the most inspiring women from all walks of life. In honour of pride month, we will be discovering the extraordinary work of Marsha P Johnson, one of the most influential LGBTQ+ activists of all time.

 

In a world determined to silence her existence, Marsha P Johnson devoted her life to LGBTQ+ liberation. A true trailblazer, she was central to the Stonewall uprisings in 1969 and later founded STAR (Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries), in which she helped homeless trans youth. The P in her name stood for ‘pay it no mind’.

 

Born on the 24^th of August 1945 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Marsha was assigned male at birth. She would later identify as a ‘transvestite’ as the term transgender was not commonly used during her lifetime, so I’ll be referring to her as trans in this post. Fifth of seven children, Marsha grew up in a working-class, Christian family and her faith stuck with her all her life. From a young age, she felt most comfortable in women’s clothes, but withdrew when she was tragically sexually assaulted by a 13-year-old boy while she was still young. With $15 and a single bag of clothes, Marsha moved to New York soon after graduating high school.

 

At the time, New York still heavily ostracised the LGBTQ+ community, with cross-dressing and even dancing with the same sex being illegal in the state. With the 1960s being an arduous time for the LGBTQ+ community, she found it almost impossible to find employment as a trans woman, resorting to sex work. She often faced physical abuse from clients, and it is reported that on one occasion she was shot by a client. Marsha lived most of her life without permanent housing, finding shelter at friends’ houses, hotels, and even restaurants. She did perform drag shows and found jobs waiting tables, though she never really found stability. Soon after arriving in New York, Marsha met Sylvia Rivera, an 11-year-old trans girl from Puerto Rico, who much like Marsha, found herself homeless. She took Rivera under her wing, teaching her how to survive on the streets, as well as how to apply makeup. Rivera later said, ‘She was like a mother to me’. Adorned with her famous flower crowns, Marsha would be clad in eccentric and lavish outfits that she would find in thrift shops, be gifted from friends, or find on the street.

 

In the early hours of the 28^{th of} June 1969, Johnson and Rivera found themselves amid the Stonewall Inn riots. The gay safe space was relentlessly targeted, and on the night of the riot, police raided the bar and arrested multiple gay patrons, without reason. Trans women spearheaded the riots as they felt they had the least to lose, and some accounts recall Marsha climbing atop a lamppost and dropping a heavy purse onto the windshield of a police car. After the incident, Marsha P Johnson became even more vocal about gay and trans rights, being an active member of the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activist Alliance. However, she found the groups to prioritise white gay men and lesbians. With the lack of representation of trans and queer people of colour, Marsha and Sylvia founded their own group, STAR (Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries). Established to shelter vulnerable, trans youth, Sylvia and Marsha worked out of a run-down truck, eventually moving to a dilapidated building where they were sadly evicted after 8 months. 

 

Her eclectic style and infectious positivity found her performing in the drag group ‘Hot Peaches’, and she attracted the attention of artist Andy Warhol, who included prints of her in a series entitled ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’. Despite her unwavering resilience, Marsha faced much adversity in her lifetime. She had spent time in psychiatric hospitals after struggling with her mental health and was diagnosed with HIV in 1990. Sadly, Marsha P Johnson’s body was found in the Hudson River on the 6^th of July 1992. Regardless of heavy criticisms from the community, the police ruled her death a suicide, despite 1992 having a spike in hate crimes towards the LGBTQ community. Many of her peers claimed that the police hadn’t investigated adequately and dismissed the case because she was a trans woman of colour. The case was reopened in 2012, though it is still unsolved.

 

Her funeral was attended by hundreds of those who were inspired by her, with the church overfilling and people piling into the streets. The ‘She Built NYC’ monument was announced in 2019 by New York City, a tribute to Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. This is the first monument in the state that honours trans women. Marsha P Johnson was and always will be one of the most influential figures in gay and trans advocacy.