After her high school graduation, she moved across the Hudson River to New York City in 1963 with only a bag of clothes and $15. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Marsha P. Johnson never self-identified with the term transgender, but the term was also not in broad use while she was alive. Though she struggled with mental health issues, Johnson was beloved for her charismatic persona. 1750. Darling, I want my gay rights now. WebMARSHA P JOHNSON SAVES BOY Randolfe Wicker 633 views 10 years ago Trans Women of Color and the Stonewall Riots Rachel Simon 1.7K views 7 years ago WebMarsha P. Johnson was one of the most prominent figures of the gay rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. reinc: The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. One morning, they returned to the truck just as it was pulling away with STAR residents sleeping inside. Note: Marshas life story includes a large amount of vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to teachers and students. As they watched their kids jump from a moving truck, Marsha and Sylvia realized they needed a real home. Image Credit:Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Ron Simmons. In a 1992 interview, Johnson said "I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen.. Well never share your email with anyone else. Solly, Meilan, New York City Monument Will Honor Transgender Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, Smithsonianmag.org, June 3, 2019,https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/. Lee: Raquel, thank you so much for your time. The first STAR House was in the back of an abandoned truck in Greenwich Village. Marsha P Johnson, born 24 August, 1945, holds a special place within the LGBTQ+ community for her larger-than-life spirit and trans rights activism. She was 46. There's still a lot of behind-the-scenes educating that has to happen for cis people who don't understand transness or gender nonconformity. Are we seeing a little bit of that now? Hey, Marsha. As the gay liberation movement became increasingly white, middle class, and cisgender, STAR reminded everyone that transgender and gender non-conforming people deserved equal rights too. The Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA), New York State Office of the Attorney General,https://ag.ny.gov/civil-rights/sonda-brochure. She also continued to engage in sex work, not knowing any other way to make money, and continued to get arrested. Overwhelmingly, Black people are around other Black people, right? Smithsonian Institute Archives Image # SIA 2010-1509. . Willis: The way that I navigate these spaces shifts. Having difficulty finding employment, Johnson turned to sex work. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. While it was in use during Marshas life, this term is now considered offensive and has been replaced with other terminology, such as transgender. And when you think about people like J.K. Rowling, and I want to read this quote, she said, quote, "If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased." Given what many are seeing as the historic nature of this speech out of left field from the blue dog democrat, this is not something you are going to want to Looking for more quotes? The City intends to have the monuments installed by 2021, as part of a plan to address gender gaps in public art. WebMarsha P. Search streaming video, audio, and text content for academic, public, and K-12 institutions. Gertrude Kasebier, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Johnsons life changed when she found herself engaging with the resistance at The Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. Currently, LGTBQ+ monuments are not among the Citys public statues. What tensions existed within the gay liberation movement? Marsha and Sylvia later formed the Street Transvestite Activist Revolutionaries (STAR). May 31, 2022 6:30 AM. Always sporting a smile, Johnson was an 'Cause it's like you're only cherished if you're dead, or you're only cherished if you can be in the spotlight and in some ways serve this desire of a cis person for you to be a spectacle, right, so they can add another layer of distance to you. Her lavish outfits were often made from thrift store finds, gifts from friends, and items she found on the street. Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Sylvia Rivera. National Womens History Museum. To learn more, check out the vocabulary resource guides from GLAAD: Transgender glossary and LGBTQ glossary. Then when you get pregnant or something, they don't even want to know you., On Paying It Forward: Ill always be known [for] reaching out to young people who have no one to help them out, so I help them out with a place to stay or some food to eat or some change for their pocket. So you can't really say that womanhood is based in the ability to procreate as a woman. She began dressing almost exclusively in womens clothes and adopted the full name Marsha P. Johnson. If you would like to learn more about Johnson, we recommend Netflix's documentary ' The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.' Article Correction: It was previously stated that Johnson said the quote,"No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us." Lee: Are we seeing that? In 2012, the New York Police Department reopened the case into Johnsons death. Silvia Rivera died of liver cancer in St. Vincents Manhattan Hospital in 2002 at the age of 50. I walked down 58th Street and the young ones were calling from the sidewalk, 'Sylvia, Sylvia, thank you, we know what you did. Immediately after graduating from Thomas A. Edison High School, Johnson moved to New York City with one bag of clothes and $15. Chicago Rothberg, Emma. She returned to the city in 1992 after the death of Johnson. Lee: That was Raquel Willis, a Black trans activist and director of communications for the Ms. Foundation. Rivera had an incredibly difficult childhood. Reyes, Raul A., A Forgotten Latina Trailblazer: LGBT Activist Sylvia Rivera, NBC News, October 6, 2015,https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/forgotten-latina-trailblazer-lgbt-activist-sylvia-rivera-n438586. So thank you very much for your time. Almost 30 years on from her death, Johnson is getting the attention she was denied when she was alive, with tales of I really appreciate it. Willis: I think it's all of the above. is a 2017 fictional short film that imagines the gay and transgender rights pioneers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in the hours that led up to the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. The weight is heavy, and there's a lot to be concerned, sad, angry about. Note: Marshas life story includes a large amount of vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to teachers and students. Today, a look at how racism and transphobia have pushed Black trans women to the fringe of the gay rights movement and the movement for Black lives, and what's being done to change that. You know, I thought that we were at a point where we were past a lot of his misgivings or misconceptions about transness. If you walked down Christopher Street, Marsha would receive you in the manner of a gracious host. A performance artist who typically dresses up like a woman for entertainment purposes. Lee: We're in this moment here where there is so much energy around the Black Lives Matter movement. In 1973, Rivera participated in the Gay Pride Parade but was not allowed to speak, despite the amount of work and advocacy she had done. And so in the wake of the Stonewall riots, there was an entire web of nonprofit organizations that sprang out of that, right? We have an issue particularly in media where we often get to be either victims, of course, and not alive, or we're a superstar or celebrity. We can educate you, learn the history. Invite students to. History isnt something you look back at and say it was inevitable, it happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities. Marsha P. Johnson, How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? On every level, Black cis folks are not doing enough to show up in new and expansive ways around gender and it's a problem. Hey, Luke. You can't say that it's about having a particular set of chromosomes. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music. Their tireless efforts continue to resonate as issues surrounding the health, safety, and autonomy of Black, Brown, and Indigenous Trans women are still challenged. And I think that we have to be able to hold that. And from those earliest days, people had concerns about Black folks, brown folks, people who are incarcerated, and of course trans people because we were seen as not in line with some of the assimilationist goals of many of those early movement figures. We have been fighting to be respected, fighting to live for centuries. But in this moment, in the fight for trans equality, is it more important to grow allies in the Black community or allies with other women? And so when I think about womanhood, we have to be expansive with all of these gender categories. "Don't you got money to make?". Lee: You know, I guess it was maybe two weeks ago now at the Black Trans Lives Rally in Brooklyn, we were actually driving home to Brooklyn and it was like I'd never seen (LAUGH) almost that many people. Photo by Leonard Fink, Courtesy LGBT Community Center National History Archive, Leonard Fink, Courtesy of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Unknown photographer, A Typical Boomer Family, ca. So, like, what are you doin'? Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. It was difficult for Marsha to find work. Show all 45 During her speech at her New York gig, the "Born This Way" singer also celebrated transgender activist Marsha P Johnson, who played a pivotal role in the Stonewall riots. She was arrested over 100 times. She was the fifth of seven children born to Malcolm Michaels Sr. and Alberta Claiborne. A progressive social reformer and activist, Jane Addams was on the frontline of the settlement house movement and was the first American woman to wina Nobel Peace Prize. (LAUGH) Or is it too tough? She realized that the fastest way to make money was to hustle. This meant working as a sex worker; The work, due to stigmatization of sex workers, was incredibly dangerous. She believed no one should hustle or live on the streets, but she knew no other way to survive. Marsha P. Johnsons Best Friend Was A Fellow Pioneer,Vogue UK, June 13, 2020,https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/who-was-sylvia-rivera. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. That night, police officers raided the gay bar. Her activism led her to become one of the most influential figures in the gay liberation movement. Today, historians and former friends of Marsha describe her as a trans woman. She noted that many people had to die in order for two statues to be erected. University of Chicago Library, Special Collections Research Center. Into America is produced by Isabel Angel, Allison Bailey, Aaron Dalton, Max Jacobs, Barbara Raab, Claire Tighe, Aisha Turner, and Preeti Varathan. It feels like a different time. She spoke publicly about her diagnosis and how people should not be afraid of those with the disease in a June 26, 1992 interview. 'Cause when I got downtown, the place was already on fire and it was a raid already. In the wake of the raid, Johnson and Rivera led a series of protests. Invite students to research recent activism around the extreme violence that trans women of color continue to face. I mean how many years does it take people to see that? And it's just a reminder that we've been here and it's a reminder we're gonna be here. This video was created by the New-York Historical Society Teen Leaders in collaboration with the Untold project. Johnson enjoyed wearing clothes made for women and wore dresses starting at age five. As the officers began to arrest people for violating various discriminatory laws, the patrons of the Stonewall fought back. Throughout Greenwich Village, she was known as Saint Marsha. Locals admired her ability to truly be herself. You may wish to start with a screening of. While short-lived, STAR House was an important space for those who needed it. Rivera was born in New York City in 1951 to a father from Puerto Rico and a mother from Venezuela. Not long after arriving in New York, 17-year-old Marsha met 11-year-old Sylvia Rivera. Compare the lives of Marsha P. Johnson and, Connect Marshas life story to other LGBTQ individuals within, One of Marshas proudest moments was with Andy Warhol. Not long after, her body was pulled from the Hudson River near the West Village. She was an advocate for drag queens, people of color, and transgender people, fighting for their right to be seen and heard.. How did Marsha feel about this? The first Gay Pride Parade took place in 1970 and a series of gay rights groupsincluding the Gay Liberation Front, a more radical organization, and the Gay Activist Alliance, a more moderate and focused spin-off groupemerged. and AIDS, and gay and transgender rights. Despite her popularity, Marsha also lived a life of poverty and danger. The church was so full that the crowd spilled into the street. What was STAR, and why was it so important? Marsha enjoyed expressing herself through her appearance. And so cis women are also harmed by the patriarchy, and cis women are also harmed by men in our communities. It's not entirely different from how women and girls of all experiences face not being seen as competent, intelligent, brilliant, and capability of leadership. Marsha P. Johnson. National Womens History Museum. At Marshas funeral, hundreds of people showed up. Johnson, like many other transgender women, felt they had nothing to lose. If I can't even get the people closest to me to understand what's going on, how am I gonna get the masses to get it?" By Source, Fair use,https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38099161. I would love for there to be a massive mobilization of allies of Black folks. Why do you think they were so close? Original music by Hannis Brown. A veteran of the 1969 Stonewall Inn uprising, Sylvia Rivera was a tireless advocate for those silenced and disregarded by larger movements. STAR House then moved to a dilapidated building, which they tried to fix up, but the group was evicted after eight months. Wilchins, Riki, A Woman for Her Time,The Village Voice, February 26, 2002,https://www.villagevoice.com/2002/02/26/a-woman-for-her-time/. In June of 2019, just as New York City was entering their month of Pride celebrations, the City announced its plans to build two monuments honoring the late Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera for their lifelong commitment to ending oppression for marginalized communities. And it's not just Black trans women. Looking for ideas on how you can celebrate Pride Month? She was excited about the work but frustrated at how white gay men and lesbians dominated the conversation. 1893-1894. [2]Two Transgender Activists Are Getting a Monument in New York How can food be used as a form of cultural memory & resistance? However, young Marsha enjoyed wearing clothing made for girls. In 2019, New York City announced that Marsha P. Johnson, along with Rivera, would be the subject of a monument commissioned by the Public Arts Campaign She Built NYC. The monument will be the first in NYC to honor transgender women. She took on the name "Black Marsha," and eventually added on her famous middle initial and took her last name from a Howard Johnson restaurant she frequented. As he entered activism, community organizing, and politics, Milk became known as a champion of the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, minorities, immigrants, women, and children. Willis, Raquel, How Sylvia Rivera Created the Blueprint for Transgender Organizing,Out Magazine,May 21, 2019,https://www.out.com/pride/2019/5/21/how-sylvia-rivera-created-blueprint-transgender-organizing. #RFK Presidential Announcement w/ Shannon Joy. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, ca. And I think what is consistent unfortunately is the sidelining of our voices and the sidelining of our experiences and work. Once in New York, Johnson returned to dressing in clothing made for women and adopted the full name Marsha P. Johnson; the P stood for Pay It No Mind, a phrase that became her motto. They were not only angered by the police raid but also the oppression and fear they experienced every day. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. New-York Historical Society Library. So if we're gonna say we're getting rid of prisons, we're defunding the police, which I support, we have to be just as much or maybe more invested in building up the consciousness of our people to be able to actually hold those people who commit harm and abuse accountable in the ways that we need them to be held accountable. But Johnson spent much of her life being ostracised by society. And that's just not okay. Sylvia Rivera. National Womens History Museum, 2021. But I'll be honest. Something went wrong while submitting the form. The riots had already started. There are many competing stories about what Johnson did during the raid on the Stonewall Inn, but it is clear she was on the front lines. The Rudy Grillo Collection, Rudy Grillo / LGBT Community Center Archive. I got a chance to talk with Raquel Willis, a Black transgender activist and the director of communications for the Ms. Foundation, a nonprofit fighting for women's rights. Much of Marshas life story has been pieced together through interviews featured in the documentary. Willis: Right. Turns out we're not there. Willis: No. Lee: You know, I don't want to either/or it or make it too reductive or too simple. Gertrude Kasebier (photographer), Zitkala Sa, Sioux Indian and activist, c. 1898. Police are treating her death as a homicide. I never do it seriously. Marsha P. Johnson, We have to be visible. 1985.212. While there are many conflicting stories about the uprisings start, it is clear that Marsha was on the front lines. Though her life was cut tragically short, Marsha's legacy remains an inspiration to us all. I mean, I wish I could say yes, but Black cis folks are not doing enough. Susan Devaney, Marsha P Johnsons Activism Matters Now More than Ever, Vogue UK, June 6, 2020, https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/who-was-marsha-p-johnson, Meilan Solly, New York City Monument Will Honor Transgender Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, Smithsonian Magazine, June 3, 2019, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/, Hugh Ryan, Power to the People: Exploring Marsha P. Johnsons Queer Liberation, Out, August 24, 2017, https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/2017/8/24/power-people-exploring-marsha-p-johnsons-queer-liberation, Sewall Chan, Marsha P. Johnson, Overlooked, The New York Times, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/obituaries/overlooked-marsha-p-johnson.html?mtrref=&mtrref=undefined&gwh=7FAC77AD0450CB8215713140B8184F62&gwt=regi&assetType=REGIWALL. We should not be ashamed of who we are. Marsha P. Johnson, Id like to see the gay revolution get started If a transvestite doesnt say Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite, then nobody else is going to hop up there and say Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite for them. Marsha P. Johnson, Darling, I want my gay rights now! Marsha P. Johnson. How have Indigenous people exercised sovereignty and self-determination in the modern world? Lee: We got COVID-19, white supremacy, uprisings. You know, I think about how more work needs to be done at our colleges and universities, in our Greek organizations, in our professional organizations, in the Congressional Black Caucus. But inevitably, you are all of your identities at one time. Date accessed. Are you Black first? And just as there's that education, there's also the education on whiteness. The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. Throughout the 1970s, Johnson became a more visible and prominent member of the gay rights movement. There are plenty of cis women who don't check off a lot of criterias that are considered womanhood. But when it comes to Black trans life and death and the violence heaped upon them, it comes likely from inside the community. (LAUGH) I almost don't have time to tweet on some days 'cause I'm so busy. It was a time when same-sex dancing in public wasnt allowed, bars were banned from serving alcoholic drinks to gay people and cross-dressing could lead to a sexual deviancy arrest. Rivera said in an interview in 2001 that while she did not throw the first Molotov cocktail at the police (a long-enduring myth), she did throw the second. The Historic New Orleans Collection, acc. Special thanks to Eric Marcus, founder and host of the podcast Making Gay History, for the use of his 1989 interview with Marsha P. Johnson. The first pride parades started in 1970, but Rivera and other transgender people were discriminated against and discouraged from participating. She was given a place of honor in the 25th Anniversary Stonewall Inn march in 1994. I will say this was a joy. But I don't know if we'll even completely know we're in a revolution probably until maybe it's almost over, right? And yet we have to contend with the fact that even if there was a clear story, which there rarely is for any victim, particularly if you're Black, he would not have gotten any more attention from most people because people have a bias against trans folks. Emma Rothberg, Sylvia Rivera, National Womens History Museum, 2021. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera. She dispensed cheer and joy. Oportunidades Iguales Para Las Mujeres En El Trabajo y La Educaccion, Womens Strike for Equality, New York, Fifth Avenue, 1970, Eugene Gordon photograph collection, 1970-1990. Johnson also became an AIDS activist, later revealing in a 1992 interview that she had been HIV-positive for two years. NASA on The Commons, via flickr, Home / Growth and Turmoil, 1948-1977 / Growing Tensions / Life Story: Marsha P. Johnson. series. The movement did not appreciate the extent to which transgender youth needed help and support. Steve Lickteig is executive producer of audio. For example, dancing with a person of the same sex as well as cross-dressing were illegal. The story of a leader in social, environmental, and political activism and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. They were pushed out of the fight for suffrage in this country. The police officers ruled her death a suicide. A person who does not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. The group became a space to organize and discuss issues facing the transgender community in New York City and they also had a building, STAR House, that provided lodgings for those who needed it. Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Johnson was outspoken about the risks of tackling the Mob; her roommate at the time had been lobbying to have officials with alleged Mafia ties removed from the I think its about time the gay brothers and sisters got their rights . In another, she climbed a lamppost and dropped a heavy purse onto a police car, shattering the windshield. When a Warhol screen-print of Marsha went on display in a Greenwich Village store, Marsha took some friends to see it. Oil on canvas. [4]The transgender women at Stonewall were pushed out of the gay rights movement. 'Cause we're all caught up in it. Yet this was not the first time Rivera was directly involved in activism. New-York Historical Society Library. Life Story: Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992), Women & the American Story, New-York Historical Society, https://wams.nyhistory.org/growth-and-turmoil/growing-tensions/marsha-p-johnson/#:~:text=After%20graduating%20high%20school%2C%20Marsha,to%20questions%20about%20her%20gender. She was an advocate A man pulled a gun on me and snatched my pocketbook in a car. Or is it your gender identity first? She brought some serious thoughts to this gay audience. Show more Show more Perhaps you could say that trans people may have a more drastic experience, but it's so connected to the ways that boys and men in general are told that they can't have a certain well of emotion, that they can't be intimate and have other ways of moving through the world that don't involve control and domination.
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