Black and Queer - Who Is Marsha P. Johnson?

Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 25, 1945 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Assigned male at birth, Johnson grew up with a deep fondness for feminine presenting clothing, wearing dresses since five years old. After experiencing bullying, harassment, and assault, Johnson decided to move to New York City after graduating high school with fifteen dollars to her name.

After moving to Greenwich, Johnson adopted her name as Marsha P. Johnson. With just a bag of clothes, she turned to sex work as a means of survival.

Living in New York City wasn’t a walk in the park. Queer individuals were continuously under attack with limited rights to protect them. On June 28, 1969, Johnson found herself participating with the resistance at The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar. Police raided the bar in the early hours of the morning, arresting several individuals, most of whom were gay men. There are several stories about what happened that night, but Johnson said when Johnson arrived, the place had already been on fire.

Johnson was a historic figure in the queer community, always flashing a warm smile and providing emotional and physical support along with resources for young drag queens, transgender individuals, and other members of the queer community. Johnson is now known as one of the most significant figures of the gay rights liberation movement in the 60’s and 70’s.

Fun Fact: The “P” in Marsha P. Johnson stands for “Pay It No Mind”, which was her motto.

Source: National Women’s History Museum

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/marsha-p-johnson

Written by Elysia Williams