WebTo the brave souls who came before us, Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Harvey Milk, Audre Lord, and igniting the fight for all of us. 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. Alexander Street is an imprint of ProQuest that promotes teaching, research, They fixed up the building and paid rent for nearly eight months. The raid on Stonewall galvanized the gay rights movement. Young trans women like Marsha were particularly vocal that night because they felt they had nothing to left to lose. A man pulled a gun on me and snatched my pocketbook in a car. Willis: I think it's all of the above. Throughout the 1970s, Johnson became a more visible and prominent member of the gay rights movement. Throughout Greenwich Village, she was known as Saint Marsha. Locals admired her ability to truly be herself. 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. In another, she climbed a lamppost and dropped a heavy purse onto a police car, shattering the windshield. Like, it's hard to know in the moment. In 1970, Sylvia came to Marsha with an idea. What and who does she represent and why is this important? At one point, Rivera attempted suicide. Note: Marshas life story includes a large amount of vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to teachers and students. And that's something other LGBTQ+ folks, particularly white ones, need to understand. Willis: No, I think that we have to find pockets of joy. I feel like what fuels a lot of the violence that may happen from Black men towards Black women comes from an innate feeling of not being man enough for whatever reason. 'Cause when I got downtown, the place was already on fire and it was a raid already. Crowd: Black trans lives matter. 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. Her lavish outfits were often made from thrift store finds, gifts from friends, and items she found on the street. Well, I know how to handle them. Other times, it seems like the vulnerabilities and the layer of vulnerabilities that Black trans people find themselves in are those layers of vulnerability that many Black people face: poverty, abuse and trauma. 'Cause we're all caught up in it. Trymaine Lee: Last month, in the middle of Pride, thousands of people gathered in Brooklyn, New York for a rally for Black trans lives. There's only one thing they want to get up your dress. Why do you think they were so close? Once, she was even shot. 1750. Like, does one feed the other, especially when it comes to Black trans lives? Johnson described herself as a gay person, a transvestite, and a drag queen and used she/her pronouns; the term transgender only became commonly used after her death. How did Marsha feel about this? One morning, they returned to the truck just as it was pulling away with STAR residents sleeping inside. Lee: Speaking of white women, that's a perfect segue. All Rights Reserved. I mean, how often does that happen? Johnson enjoyed wearing clothes made for women and wore dresses starting at age five. Marsha and Sylvia later formed the Street Transvestite Activist Revolutionaries (STAR). Initially ruled a suicide, many friends questioned that conclusion and suspected foul play. And then our families, right? Invite students to research the ways in which Marshas legacy is being remembered today. Much of Marshas life story has been pieced together through interviews featured in the documentary. And whatever I can do to use the bit of access I might have, or privilege, or platform to push the dignity of Black trans people, I'm gonna do it. Well never share your email with anyone else. 6 June 2020. While it was in use during Marshas life, this term is now considered offensive and has been replaced with other terminology, such as transgender. I mean, I wish I could say yes, but Black cis folks are not doing enough. We kept the building going. Raquel Willis: There's this idea that because we are having an openly different gender experience, that we deserve the abuse that we may receive. Emma Rothberg, Sylvia Rivera, National Womens History Museum, 2021. Willis: The way that I navigate these spaces shifts. 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. Gertrude Kasebier (photographer), Zitkala Sa, Sioux Indian and activist, c. 1898. On July 6, 1992, Johnsons body was found in the Hudson River. MLA Rothberg, Emma. We paid the rent. Although only 19, Rivera became a mother to many of the residents of STAR House. And it's just a reminder that we've been here and it's a reminder we're gonna be here. And that fearless attitude exemplifies how the Black transgender activist lived her life, leading the charge for LGBTQ+ rights every step of the way and helping instigate the Stonewall Inn uprising that sparked the gay pride movement. Overwhelmingly, Black people are around other Black people, right? Lot of flying. The police officers ruled her death a suicide. Is it education? Cooking for myself, right? 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. And I think for me as an activist, I take it also to be like, "Is what I'm doing even working? Together, they started raising their voices. Date accessed. Looking for more quotes? So people like Marsha P. Johnson, Zazu Nova, a Black trans elder who's still with us named Miss Major were present there and were actively invested in the fight that sprang out of that moment. Lee: We're in this moment here where there is so much energy around the Black Lives Matter movement. 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. On multiple occasions, clients pulled guns on Marsha. Having difficulty finding employment, Johnson turned to sex work. Sylvia Rivera | National Women's History Museum Johnson also became an AIDS activist, later revealing in a 1992 interview that she had been HIV-positive for two years. No quote encapsulates .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Marsha P. Johnson more than Pay It No Mind. After all, thats what she said her middle initial stood for. Willis: I think that we need all the allies. Willis: And so let today be the last day which you ever doubt Black trans power. She was an advocate 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/. Marshas whole life seemed to be a balance between popularity and exclusion. New-York Historical Society. The two became instant friends. I think the first thing people need to do is really sit down and analyze themselves, answer what their insecurities are around anything, you know, but particularly around gender. She also reconciled with the gay rights movement that was now expanding to embrace the LGBTQ+ community. The movement did not appreciate the extent to which transgender youth needed help and support. MARSHA P. JOHNSON "You Gotta Have Soul !" - YouTube 1985.212. Sylvia and Marsha hustled every night to make sure their new family had breakfast each morning. She sometimes lived with friends. Apr 21, 2023. (CHEERING). Johnson was involved in the early days of both but grew frustrated by the exclusion of transgender and LGBTQ+ people of color from the movement. We lose a lot of nuance there. Marsha P. Johnson was a proud and outspoken member of the LGBTQ+ community before it was popular to be so. '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. For me, I found joy in having a chance to connect with the people closest to me in new ways, in deeper ways, reminding myself to take a walk not only for exercise but for the fresh air. I think its about time the gay brothers and sisters got their rights especially the women., On Embracing Her Identity: 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., On Human Rights: You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights. 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. To learn more, check out the vocabulary resource guides from GLAAD: Transgender glossary and LGBTQ glossary. 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. She spoke publicly about it and told people she hoped they would not be afraid of those who had the disease. That night, police officers raided the gay bar. And so cis women are also harmed by the patriarchy, and cis women are also harmed by men in our communities. Willis: No. Hope y'all enjoy the long holiday weekend. A person who does not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. She was given a place of honor in the 25th Anniversary Stonewall Inn march in 1994. Do you disentangle your identity like that? Franois (Franz) Fleischbein (artist), Portrait of Betsy, 1837. A term for all trans men and trans women. In 2021, New York City will unveil a monument to Rivera and Johnson. We fed people and clothed people. You know, when I had this recent conversation with my brother, I left the conversation, you know, I was angry and I was tearful 'cause it does hurt. Lee: By the time Marsha died in 1992, people rarely talked about her role in the movement. May 31, 2022 6:30 AM. Hey, Marsha. 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? 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. The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. Life Story: Marsha P. Johnson - Women & the American She was arrested over 100 times. 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. So, I mean, there are so many ways in which the argument against trans women being women also erases swaths of cisgender women who don't have those particular experiences. That is a gender issue. Now they are getting a statue in New York She also did not have a permanent home during this time, and bounced around sleeping at friends homes, hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters. Johnsons life changed when she found herself engaging with the resistance at The Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. 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. 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. And we were all out there. [4]The transgender women at Stonewall were pushed out of the gay rights movement. How have Indigenous people exercised sovereignty and self-determination in the modern world? Protest Leader: Black trans power matters. 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. During Marshas lifetime, the term transgender was not commonly used. Lee: You know, I don't want to either/or it or make it too reductive or too simple. Pay It No Mind: Marsha P. Johnson | Alexander Street, part of In 1990, Johnson was diagnosed with H.I.V. So thank you very much for your time. Yet this was not the first time Rivera was directly involved in activism. I was involved with that.. Soul Poem Written and Performed By Marsha P. Johnson And then the last thing I'll say is, you know, you brought up the contours of womanhood. and AIDS, and gay and transgender rights. It was about the oppression and fear they felt every single day. Date accessed. 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. Pride Month: Who was Marsha P. Johnson and why were they so It was written, directed, and produced by Tourmaline and Sasha They thought it was more likely that Marsha was a victim of an attack. Marsha P 1890. Is there a confluence there? So there's no way to talk about us getting to liberation without talking about Black trans people. 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 asked Marsha to help her create a place where they could feel safe, unite, and fight for their rights. I also think about our institutions. Life Story: Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992), Women & the American Story, New-York Historical Society. Marsha P. Johnson Johnson, like many other transgender women, felt they had nothing to lose. And so for me it's been very important to always be a Black trans woman when I come into spaces. How can food be used as a form of cultural memory & resistance? Marsha P. Johnson: The way I winded up being at Stonewall that night, I was having a party uptown. I am a senior. Soon, Marsha was attending rallies, sit-ins, and meetings of the newly formed Gay Liberation Front. Lee: Marsha P. Johnson was one of those women. She was sometimes homeless and living on the streets but almost always present for decades. What were the circumstances around Marshas death? Gertrude Kasebier, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. When a Warhol screen-print of Marsha went on display in a Greenwich Village store, Marsha took some friends to see it. I think we have to have a real conversation on how white supremacy has also plagued the LGBTQ+ movement since its inception. Marsha P. Johnson at the First Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1970. So you can't really say that womanhood is based in the ability to procreate as a woman. 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. So there was infrastructure being built. Willis: I don't think so. [2]Two Transgender Activists Are Getting a Monument in New York Content Warning: This resource addresses physical and sexual violence. Marsha described herself as a gay person, a transvestite, and a drag queen. Lee: How do you move through these movement spaces that, you know, the bounds of white supremacy are still there? WebOn what would have been Marsha P Johnsons 77th birthday, the founder of the institute that bears her name discusses her powerful, often misunderstood legacy. The Historic New Orleans Collection, acc. The story of a transgender activist who participated in the Stonewall Uprising and fought for equal rights. 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. Cihak and Zima (photographer), Ida B. Wells-Barnett, ca. Marsha P. Johnson was a proud and outspoken member of the LGBTQ+ community before it was popular to be so. The first pride parades started in 1970, but Rivera and other transgender people were discriminated against and discouraged from participating. 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 (LAUGH) Or is it too tough? Screen excerpts from this film so that students can hear directly from Marsha and the people in her life. Police are treating her death as a homicide. 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. How have Indigenous people exercised sovereignty and self-determination in the modern world? Johnson, an African American self-identified drag queen and activist, was also battling exclusion in a I never do it seriously. Marsha P. Johnson, We have to be visible. I mean how many years does it take people to see that? And we need the in-between. 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. Marsha enjoyed expressing herself through her appearance. I walked down 58th Street and the young ones were calling from the sidewalk, 'Sylvia, Sylvia, thank you, we know what you did. We have been fighting to be respected, fighting to live for centuries. Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. Were the front-liners. She was booed off the stage. Rivera, a Puerto Rican transgender girl, and the two became instant friends. An infectious disease that attacks a persons immune system and can be difficult to treat. She spoke publicly about her diagnosis and how people should not be afraid of those with the disease in a June 26, 1992 interview. You know, we need the community organizers, and activists, and all those types of stories as well, and we don't often get that. Marsha P. Johnson She was beaten for doing so and, after being attacked on a school playground in sixth grade by another student, suspended from school for a week. It was not easy to live on the margins. Lee: On one hand, I get tired of the trope that the Black community is somehow more homophobic or more transphobic. Marsha P. Johnson. National Womens History Museum, 2022. And people don't want to say that because I think there's this idea that the biggest enemy is white supremacy, but that is a fallacy. Describe Marshas and Sylvias friendship. And they never forget it. 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. When a Warhol screen-print of Marsha went on display in a Greenwich Village store, Marsha took some friends to see it. ", On Mental Health: I may be crazy, but that don't make me wrong., On Distrust: I got robbed once. LIVE! Willis: Of course. Regardless of the true nature of her death, she was a victim of violence, including police brutality, throughout her life. Rivera explained in 1998 that she and Johnson decided it was time to help each other and help our other kids. They were not only angered by the police raid but also the oppression and fear they experienced every day. The final bill passed in 2002 and prevents discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, credit, and the exercise of civil rights..
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