Black History Month: Marsha P. Johnson
February 12, 2021
Marsha P. Johnson was a well known black transgender activist and drag queen in a time when all of those things were shunned. Johnson was once asked by a judge what the “P” stood for, and they responded with “Pay it no mind.”
Marsha P. Johnson is best known for their contributions to the Stonewall Riots and their flamboyant personality despite their treatment. At this time being gay was considered a mental illness in the US and they often were shunned or treated badly by police.
In 1969, police raided a gay bar known as the Stonewall Inn. Police brought 200 people into the street and brutally beat many of them. Marsha was on of the key figures in the riots. They stood up to the police and afterwords led many riots and protests that later came to be called the Stonewall Riots. These riots spread across the country like wildfire and in the months after the first openly gay march took place. Marsha laid the path for those who are still fighting to this day.
Marsha and a friend Slyvia Rivera founded S.T.A.R aka Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries. The goal was to support those gay and trans kids who had been kicked out of their homes.
Despite her several mental and physical health issues, Marsha was described as extremely giving and caring towards others. They were even nicknamed the “Saint of Christopher Street.” They fought for LGBTQ+ rights up until their death.
In 1992 Marsha P. Johnson went missing and their body was discovered six days later. NYPD ruled the death a suicide but many said Marsha was being harassed and that Marsha was not suicidal and was rather murdered. After 20 years and many people fighting for NYPD to open and investigate Marsha’s mysterious death, but it was ruled a suicide.
Marsha’s legacy continues to live on and inspire many. In 2017 a documentary about them entitled “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson” is available on Netflix.
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