Once every month we will talk about one personality which paved the way for the LGBTQIA community and where we are today.
We chose to start with Marsha P Johnson.
Some facts about her:
she was born as Malcolm Michaels Jr. on the 24th of August 1945 in Elizabeth, New Jersey
she had six siblings
she first began to wear dresses at the age of five, but she stopped due to harrassment by others
she graduated from Edison High School in Elizabeth in 1963
at the age of 17 Marsha moved to Greenwich Village in New York to start a new life
she turned to prostitution to survive until she joined a like-minded community
Marsha was a self-made drag queen at Christopher Street, famous for her costume creations
the “P” in her name stands for “Pay it no mind”
she died on the 6th of July 1992 in New York (until now the cause of her death is known, but homicide is not excluded), her body was found in Hudson River
Marsha's activism for the LGBTQ rights:
28th of June 1969: STONEWALL INN (bar on Christopher Street)
At this evening things got violent when the police harassed people of the LGBTQIA community. The police forced 200 people to go out on the street where they aggressively assaulted them.
Martha was the key figure who stood up against the police.
Gay Liberation Front:
This group was founded right after the incident at StoneWall, where she was a big part of.
The riots are considered by many to be the impulse of the Gay Liberation Movement and the Modern Fight for the LGBT rights in the USA.
To commemorate the Stonewall rebellion, on the 28th of June 1970 the first gay pride occurred, which is called Christopher Street Liberation Day.
1970: Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR)
This organisation was co-founded by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera and its purpose was to help the homeless LGBTQ youth in
New York City, Chicago, California, and England, by providing shelter and food to them. They continued to help for a few years in the early 1970s but eventually disbanded in 1973.
To honour the great things that Marsha P. Johnson did for the LGBTQ community, there are nowadays a lot of documentaries, books and art to pay tribute to her.
“As long as my people don’t have their rights across America, there is no reason for celebration.” Marsha P. Johnson
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