Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson
Born
Malcolm Michaels Jr.[1][2][3][4]

(1945-08-24)August 24, 1945[1][2][3]
Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.[5]
DiedJuly 6, 1992(1992-07-06) (aged 46)[5]
New York City, U.S.
Known forGay liberation and AIDS activist, performer with the Hot Peaches and the Angels of Light

Marsha P. Johnson (August 24, 1945 – July 6, 1992) was an American gay liberation[6][7] activist and self-identified drag queen.[8][9] Known as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Johnson was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969.[6][10][11]

Johnson was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and co-founded the radical activist group Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), alongside close friend Sylvia Rivera.[12] Popular in New York's gay community, Johnson was also active in the city's art scene, modeling for Andy Warhol and appearing onstage with the drag performance troupe Hot Peaches.[6] Johnson was known as the "mayor of Christopher Street" for being a welcoming presence in the streets of Greenwich Village. Beginning in 1987, Johnson was an AIDS activist with ACT UP.[6]

Johnson's body was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992. While initially ruled a suicide by the New York City Police Department (NYPD), controversy and protest followed the case, resulting in it eventually being re-opened as a possible homicide.[13][14]

  1. ^ a b Washington, K.C. (April 9, 2019). "Marsha P. Johnson (1945–1992)". BlackPast.org. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference pioneer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Scan of Birth Certificate Archived February 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Name: Malcolm Michaels; Sex: Male; Place of Birth: St. Elizabeth Hospital; Date of Birth: August 24, 1945; Registration Date: August 27, 1945; Date of Issue: September 4, 1990. Accessed September 10, 2015.
  4. ^ U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007, Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries: "Michaels, Malcolm Jr [Malcolm Mike Michaels Jr], [M Michae Jr], [Malculm Jr]. ...Gender: Male. Race: Black. Birth Date: 24 Aug 1945. Birth Place: Elizabeth, Union, New Jersey [Elizabeth, New Jersey]. Death Date: Jul 1992. Database on-line. Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com"
  5. ^ a b Chan 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Kasino 2012.
  7. ^ "I've been involved in gay liberation ever since it first started in 1969", 15:20 into the interview, Johnson is quoted as saying this.
  8. ^ Feinberg, Leslie (September 24, 2006). "Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries". Workers World Party. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2017. Stonewall combatants Sylvia Rivera and Marsha 'Pay It No Mind' Johnson ... Both were self-identified drag queens.
  9. ^ Jacobs, Julia (May 29, 2019). "Two Transgender Activists Are Getting a Monument in New York". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2019. 'I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville, until I became a drag queen,' Ms. Johnson said in 1992.
  10. ^ Carter, David (2004). Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution. St. Martin's. pp. 64, 261, 298. ISBN 0-312-20025-0.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference MarshaInterview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Giffney, Noreen (December 28, 2012). Queering the Non/Human. Ashgate Publishing. p. 252. ISBN 9781409491408. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference investigation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).