Pride Spotlight: MARSHA P. JOHNSON (1945-1992)

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 impact on the LGBTQ+ community.

At this time, being gay was classified as a mental illness in the United States. Gay people were regularly threatened and beaten by police, and were shunned by many in society.

Marsha said the “P” stood for “Pay it no mind” - a phrase they used when people commented negatively on their appearance or life choices.

In June 1969, when Marsha was 23 years old, police raided a gay bar in New York called The Stonewall Inn.
The police forced over 200 people out of the bar and onto the streets, and then used excessive violence against them. In 2019, the head of New York’s Police Department apologised for their actions, saying, “the actions taken by the NYPD were wrong”.

Marsha, who was living and working in New York at the time, was one of the key figures who stood up to the police during the raids.

Marsha resisted arrest, but in the following days, led a series of protests and riots demanding rights for gay people. Much like the recent Black Lives Matter marches in the United States, news of these protests spread around the world, inspiring others to join protests and rights groups to fight for equality.

A month after the protests, the first openly gay march took place in New York - a pivotal moment for the gay and trans community everywhere.

Even though the Stonewall riots kick-started this wave of support for the LGBTQ+ community, there was still a lot of discrimination against them.

It was common for young gay and trans people to be kicked out of their family homes by their parents.
Marsha and good friend Sylvia Rivera, who was also an activist , founded STAR - Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries - an organisation to support gay and trans individuals who had been left homeless.
Much of Marsha’s life was dedicated to helping others, despite suffering several mental health issues.
Marsha was nicknamed the “Saint of Christopher Street” (where the Stonewall Inn is located), because of the generosity they had shown towards people in New York’s LGBTQ+ community.