Marsha P. Johnson grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, with her mother. For anyone wanting to learn more about drag queen and activist Marsha P. Johnson, this entire documentary is available for free on Youtube! She adopted the name "Black Marsha" soon after and became a fixture in the Village, where she was instantly recognizable by her bold style, notably wearing flowers in her hair. However, she found joy as a drag queen amidst the nightlife of Christopher Street. She was homeless and prostituted herself to make ends meet. [29] Also discussed are Johnson's experiences of the dangers of working as a street prostitute in drag, and Johnson's husband who was murdered. [62][41], Johnson's body was cremated and, following a funeral at a local church, and a march down Seventh Avenue, friends released Johnson's ashes over the Hudson River, off the Christopher Street Piers. Johnson's mother also encouraged her child to find a "billionaire" boyfriend or husband to take care of (Johnson) for life, a goal Johnson often talked about. [32] Johnson sang and performed as a member of J. Camicias' international, NYC-based, drag performance troupe, Hot Peaches, from 1972 through to shows in the 1990s. Marsha was assigned male at birth, but described herself as living life as a woman, and worked tirelessly to support her trans community. treatment they underwent to affirm their gender identity. Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist. A Netflix documentary was made about Marsha in 2017, The Stonewall Inn was the site of protesting and riots in June 1969, Watch Newsround - signed and subtitled. Johnson was inspired by a Howard Johnson restaurant she liked, and the P stood for Pay it No Mind, which is how she responded when questioned about her gender. Marsha P. Johnson was an African-American gay man and drag artist - someone who dresses extravagantly and performs as a woman - from New Jersey, whose activism in the 1960s and 70s had a huge. [75][76] According to Wicker, a witness saw a neighborhood resident fighting with Johnson on July 4, 1992. argued that an individual should have the final say over what medical On the second night, however, several eyewitness accounts had her climbing up a light post with a brick in her purse which she promptly let drop on a police squad car below, shattering the window. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Johnson was born Malcolm Michaels, Jr., on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. STAR provided services including shelter (the first was a trailer truck) to homeless LGBTQ people in New York City, Chicago, California and England for a few years in the early 1970s but eventually disbanded. Johnson came out and said "my life has been built around sex and gay liberation, being a drag queen" and sex work.
marsha p johnson primary source