Johnson, Marsha P. (1945-1992), was an African American LGBTQ rights activist. LGBTQ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning. Johnson is best known for her role as a leader in the Stonewall uprising, a series of demonstrations for gay rights that took place in New York City in late June and early July of 1969. She was a transgender woman. Transgender is a term for individuals whose identity or self-expression does not match their assigned gender. Johnson worked to help members of the LGBTQ community, particularly nonwhite transgender youth.
After graduating from high school in 1963, Johnson moved to the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. In the 1960’s, Greenwich Village was the center of the city’s gay community. Homelessness and poverty led Johnson to turn to prostitution, the performance of sexual acts for payment. Johnson’s early experiences in the city led her to become an activist for homeless youth. In particular, she advocated for young people who had been made homeless because their families or others did not accept their LGBTQ identity. Johnson was among the first to stand up during the Stonewall uprising. As such, she is considered a pioneer of the LGBTQ rights movement.
Johnson also performed as a drag queen with the group Hot Peaches. Drag queens are performers who dress as the opposite sex, exaggerating gender stereotypes through their costumes and mannerisms (behaviors). In 1975, the American artist Andy Warhol took photographs of Johnson for his “Ladies and Gentlemen” series. The series featured drag queens and transgender patrons of The Gilded Grape, a nightclub in New York City.
Johnson created and participated in a variety of institutions that served the LGBTQ community. In 1969, she cofounded STAR—which stands for Street Transvestite (later changed to Transgender) Action Revolutionaries—with Sylvia Rivera, a fellow American transgender activist. STAR had a variety of missions, including helping homeless transgender youth, advocating for sexual freedom, and allying the gay rights movement with other civil rights movements. Johnson was an AIDS activist and protested with members of ACT UP, an AIDS advocacy organization.
Malcolm Michaels, Jr., was born on Aug. 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, near Newark. Growing up, Michaels explored a feminine aspect of his personality—which he referred to as Marsha— through the wearing of women’s clothing. Michaels adopted the name Marsha on moving to New York City. The last name Johnson was inspired by a favorite hotel in the Howard Johnson chain. Johnson said the P in her name stood for Pay it no mind. Johnson’s body was found in the Hudson River on July 6, 1992. Her death was first considered a suicide, but many people believe she was murdered. In 2015, the Marsha P. Johnson Institute was established to honor Johnson and continue her work. The center works to protect human rights for members of the transgender and gender-nonconforming communities.
