PRIDE - The life of Marsha P. Johnson by Sebastian Rodriguez and Pratibha Raghove
June is PRIDE month🌈, a moment for those who identify as LGBTQIA+ and their allies, to pause and reflect on how far they have come but also celebrate the breadth, strength
and beauty of experience within the community. These articles aim to inspire you through the stories of resilience, strength and determination within the LGBTQIA+ community.
This article was written by Sebastian Rodriguez, a Business Administration Apprentice at Ayden and Pratibha Raghove, a Digital Marketing Apprentice at Verizon.
Early Life
Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender woman, a gay liberation outspoken activist who spent years advocating for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, a self-identified drag queen, and an AIDS activist. Marsha was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on August 24, 1945. She was the fifth of the seven children of Malcolm Michaels Sr. and Alberta Claiborne and was primarily raised in the Mount Teman African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Johnson had a troubled adolescence, facing harassment for the dresses she wore and also being a victim of rape at a young age. After completing her graduation from Edison High School she moved to Greenwich Village in New York city. Still, life was not easy for her. To survive and make her living, Johnson waited tables and worked in prostitution. Upon changing her name, Marsha chose the “P” , to stand for “pay it no mind” which she used in response to gender conformity questions.
Marsha’s attire usually consisted of shimmery robes and dresses, red lipstick and high heels, plastic flowers & fruits, costume jewelry, bright wigs, Christmas ornaments, big hats, and an array of found objects from the streets of New York.
Stonewall Riots
The uprising of patrons on the early hours of June 28th of 1969 marked what most consider today as “the beginning of the modern Gay Liberation movement.” Marsha P. Johnson found herself on the very front lines of this historical event that took place at the Stonewall Inn in New York City as a response to the exhaustion from a community that was fed up with constant social discrimination, oppresion and police harrasment. To this day, no one knows with certainty who threw the first brick or whether an actual brick was even thrown but one thing is for sure, it was a turning point in LGBTQ+ history and the awakening of a new generation of activists across the world. In 2016, former US President, Barack Obama, appointed the site of the riots—Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park, and surrounding streets— as a national monument to recognize the area’s contribution to gay rights.
Gay Liberation Front
The Stonewall riots became the primary catalyst of the Gay Liberation Movements and reforms, it led to the formation of various advocacy groups like the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in New York which eventually formed chapters across the world. It was the first group that used gay in its name. GLF provides protection to the gay people against oppressive laws and unequal ethics and the way gay & transgender people were treated and viewed by society. Being a founding member of GLF, Marsha fought for years and years for the freedom & rights of LGBTQ+ people, she conducted meetings, organized rallies, and challenged the police & state. Because of her endeavor, she is often called the “Rosa parks of the LGBTQ movement”. Her role toward the freedom and equal rights of LGBTQIA+ community can't be kept undermined. Johnson along with her GLF members staged a sit-in protest at Weinstein Hall at New York University to oppose the cancelation of a dance program by administrators because it was sponsored by gay organizations. Marsha once said, "I have been beaten, I have been thrown in jail, I have lost my job for gay liberation. Revolution now”. This Gay Liberation Monument in Christopher park tells the story of the Stonewall riots and Gay Liberation movements:
STAR
Marsha, although proud of the many efforts, found herself frustrated with the lack of representation for transgender people who were most likely to be targeted by police and face homeslessness. Due to this and along with fellow activist Sylvia Rivera, a new discussion sparked up which gave way to the birth of the STAR (“Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries'') organization. Founded in 1970, the STAR House’s purpose was to provide food, shelter and advocacy to gay, gender non-confirming and queer folk. Despite its short lifespan, STAR served as a trailblazer and marked the first of many LGBTQ+ shelters that would open in the entire nation, several of which remain open to this day and continue to be of service to the community which unfortunately, still faces alarming rates of homelessness.
Andy Warhol and The Hot Peaches Drag Theatre
Trans people faced discrimination, insignificance, and violence, when Andy launched his collection he labeled people in portraits as “others” instead of their names. The people shown in Andy’s collection remained anonymous subjects and it took decades until they were identified. Andy Warhol created two paintings of Johnson who has become the most recognised subject in the Ladies and Gentlemen series.
The Hot Peaches was a drag theater in New York City established by Jimmy Camicia in 1972. Its shows were well known for striking costumes, outrageous characters & personalities, and gay concerns & challenges matter themes. Eventually, The Hot Peache was acknowledged as the “Political camp, dominated by drag”. Johnson was a prominent member of The Hot Peaches drag theater. Being a part of The Hot Peaches she performed internationally along with other drag troupes. Her natural comic timing made her performance work, Camicia himself quoted once “We're not actors, we're entertainers. Rather than becoming the script, the script becomes us." For Marsha, this was a life-changing phase, and she became a drag queen. Johnson once said “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's Legacy
Marsha P. Johnson’s legacy continues to be a source of inspiration and strength for an entire community. She truly made her life’s purpose to be a pillar for the fight against discrimination of trans and queer people, as well as those struggling with AIDS. Her messages continue to serve many people who, because of her story, feel a little less lonely in their own journeys of self-discovery within a society that continues to oppose challenges for those who walk as their true selves.
To this day, she’s still known by many as “Saint Marsha,” and to those who knew her personally describing her personality as vibrant, charismatic, and “with a smile that would pierce through anyone’s heart.”
She once said, "History isn't 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.” A quote that continues to ring true and it is, in the most simplistic form, a definition of an icon’s life who gave it all up to take care of those around her, serve an entire community, and be a light for every single gay, lesbian, transgender, and queer person out there. Her revolutionary work marked the beginning of a new era and gave way to world-renowned events such as the first Pride Parade —also known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day —held on June 28th of 1970 to mark the anniversary of Stonewall.
The entire month of June represents “Pride Month,” and it is because of the work of key figures such as Marsha that the LGBTQ+ community is able to highlight its experience and keep on inspiring those within it to have a voice and live as their most authentic selves.
Our PRIDE partner 'Drop Bear Beer' have been so kind as to provide the Multiverse Community with a discount code that can be used during the month of
June! MVPRIDE10 will provide 10% off everything on Drop Bear Beer’s online store until the end of June. Click this link to have the code automatically applied to your shop.
Sponsored by the PRISM Network
All Community Pride activity is sponsored by PRISM, our network for LGBTQ+ individuals and active allies. The Network provides a safe and comfortable space to start conversations surrounding any topics related to the community, to drive positivity, and to help support each other.
You can request to join the PRISM network here, we look forward to seeing you