Marsha P. Johnson
Marsha P Johnson had a crucial impact on the LGBTQ+ community and activism all together. During her lifetime, she accomplished many amazing things.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Background
Marsha was born on August 24th, 1945 in Elizabeth, New Jersey to parents Malcom Michaels Sr., who Marsha was originally named after, and Alberta Claiborne.
Marsha P Johnson lived in New York in the 1940s-90s and was a huge advocate for gay & trans rights, homeless LGBTQ+ youth, and people with HIV or AIDS during the gay rights movement in the 1960s. She was also involved with the Stonewall uprising.
Marsha was a drag queen that used she/her pronouns; however, the term “transgender” would only be used and popularized after her death.
Growing up, Marsha had to turn to sex work as a form of money because there was no opportunity for people within the LGBTQ+ community at the time. She was often abused by clients and arrested by police. It was difficult and unfair to not only her but considering all the people within the community that might have taken the same way that Marsha did.
Marsha always said that the “P” in her name stood for “Pay it no mind” which was her motto. She also often told people that when asking about her gender. Her uprising was the reason she became the activist she was. She had such a big heart and so much sympathy for people in need and those who needed help.
Stonewall
Many people think that Marsha was the person that threw the first brick but this is false as she arrived at 2am. Marsha arrived at the scene to behold the sight of fires and riots. She saw police being unjust towards the people and she had no problem sticking it to the man and/or getting arrested. Reason being, she was arrested a lot growing up because she was a sex worker. Another reason being that she would have defended members of her community through anything.
Legacy
Marsha’s body was found floating in the Hudson river and police ruled it as a suicide. However, her friends and fellow activists have always been against and disagreed with this ruling because they all knew that even though the world that they lived in dragged her down, she still loved life.
Marsha’s activism and actions paved the way for many opportunities we have in our current world. Marsha walked so modern day LGBTQ+ activists could run. She will forever be remembered and admired.
