Factual Friday: Marsha P. Johnson

  The first time I had ever heard of the Stonewall Riots was my freshman year of college so for our younger readers, I’ll fill you in. On June 28th, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village, NY. According to History.com, “The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar...The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world” (History.com). However, we can’t talk about the Stonewall Riots without mentioning this week’s star of Factual Friday: Marsha P. Johnson.


(Photo credits to ucnj.org)

Marsha was born as Malcolm Michaels Jr. on August 24th, 1945. After graduating high school and a quick stint in the U.S. Navy, Marsha moved to Greenwich Village to do some soul searching. Through her work in the nightlife industry, Marsha was able to find her place in the gay community. Marsha took up drag and became known for her unique costume design. She experimented with names, going by “Malcolm” and “Black Marsha” before she settled on Marsha P. Johnson. The P stood for “Pay it no mind” which was in reference to questions about her gender. As stated by bbc.co.uk, “At this time, being gay (or a part of the LGBT+ community at all) was classified as a mental illness in the United States. Gay people were regularly threatened and beaten by police, and were shunned by many in society” (bbc.co.uk). Because of the prejudice that the LGBT+ community faced, Marsha took on the role of “drag mother” as she aided homeless and struggling LGBT+ youth. Marsha had a very successful career as a drag queen herself, she toured the world with the Hot Peaches to perform. 

As stated before, a lot of us have heard of Marsha in the context of the Stonewall Riots. According to ucnj.org, “Many eyewitnesses have identified Marsha as one of the main instigators of the uprising and thus, some have recognized her as the vanguard of the gay liberation movement in the United States” (ucnj.org). Even after her role in the Stonewall Riots, Marsha continued to make important contributions to the gay community. Marsha and her friend Sylvia Rivera created STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), an organization that provided shelter and other services for young members of the LGBT+ community in Chicago, New York City, California and England. 

Marsha’s commitment to philanthropy and bettering her community is truly inspiring. However, Marsha’s story is not one that I’ve heard in many of my classes, which is why I wanted to share it today. In order to keep Marsha’s legacy alive, it is important not only to tell her story, but to continue to learn the stories of the people that textbooks so often leave out. Marsha did a lot of important work in the realm of pursuing justice and it is up to us to continue her work. That way, Marsha’s memory will live on. 


    And with that, I wish you all a Factual Friday and a fun weekend!


    Xoxo, 

    Zoe

Sources

https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots

https://ucnj.org/mpj/about-marsha-p-johnson/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52981395


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