Who Was Marsha P. Johnson?

By Parker McElroy, Edited by Uday Lingampalli

Marsha P. Johnson was an influential leader of the gay liberation movement in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Marsha was a black trans woman who made her living through sex work and drag performances, but her real passion was activism for those like her, as evidenced by her involvement in different movements, after the events at the Stonewall Inn.

Marsha was born in 1945 in New Jersey, but moved to New York in 1966 to pursue a new life under her new name. She was often homeless after her move, and struggled with her mental and physical health, among other things. When she moved, she rebranded herself in order to help her focus on her new life. She gave herself the name Marsha P. Johnson, stating that the P stood for “Pay it no mind,” her life philosophy.

In 1969, when the Stonewall Inn was raided, Marsha was only 23. Patrons of the bar faced extreme violence and harassment at the hands of the police, so they decided to fight back. In the following days, people from all walks of life organized in the form of protests and riots, to fight against the injustice faced at the Stonewall Inn. Johnson was one of these people. At the raid, she resisted arrest and decided to lead most of the protests afterwards. These protests spread, and they inspired the first pride parade only a year later.

After the Stonewall Riots, Marsha, along with Sylvia Rivera, created Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), one of the very first trans rights organizations in America. Marsha also became a member of the Gay Liberation Front and started the STAR House in 1972 as a safe haven for homeless LGBT+ youth.

Marsha’s identity is sometimes debated. Although it is a widely accepted fact that she was a trans woman, the word transgender didn’t exist in widespread media the way it does today, so it’s almost impossible to actually know what she identified as. Further complicating this is the fact that Marsha worked as a drag queen, so it’s debated as to whether or not her name was what she preferred or if it was just her drag name.

She died in 1992 after her body was found in the Hudson River. Her death was ruled as an accident, though that ruling is still debated due to the limited investigation done on the case. This includes the fact that she was a black trans woman and a prominent activist, making her a very likely target for homicide. Marsha was seen as a mother to all who frequented the shelter that she ran. She had a vibrant personality and was regarded by her peers as the “mayor of Christopher Street”. It is more important than ever to remember that the largest and most well-known gay rights movement of all time was started by a black trans woman, but it is also important to remember that Marsha was so much more than that. She was a pillar of her community in New York and has also become a pillar of the entire LGBT+ community, and she should never be forgotten.

by Sahithi Lingampalli