Marsha P. Johnson
Encyclopedia
Marsha P. Johnson born in Elizabeth, New Jersey as Malcolm Michaels, Jr. was an African American
transgender
activist and a popular figure in New York City
's gay and art scene from the 1960s to the 1990s.
One of the city's best known drag queen
s of the times Johnson was a leader in clashes with the police amid the Stonewall Riots
. She was a co-founder, along with Sylvia Rivera
, of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries
(S.T.A.R.) in the early 1970s. She also was the "mother" of S.T.A.R. House along with Sylvia, getting together food and clothing to help support the young queens living in the house on the lower East Side of New York.
Once, appearing in a court the judge asked Marsha, "What does the 'P' stand for?", Johnson gave her customary response "Pay it No Mind." This phrase became her trademark. In 1974 Marsha P. Johnson was photographed by famed artist Andy Warhol
, as part of a "ladies and gentlemen" series of polaroids featuring drag queens. An interview with Marsha P. Johnson by gay activist Allen Young (writer)
can be found in the book "Out of the Closets: Voices of Gay Liberation," originally published in 1972 and available in a new edition from New York University Press.
In July 1992, Johnson's body was found floating in the Hudson River
off the West Village Piers shortly after the 1992 Pride March. Police ruled the death a suicide. Johnson friends and supporters said she was not suicidal, and a people's postering campaign later declared that Johnson had earlier been harassed near the spot where her body was found. Attempts to get the police to investigate the cause of death were unsuccessful.
Today Johnson's legacy still survives, and popular New York City art band Antony and the Johnsons
adopted their name from Johnson.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
activist and a popular figure in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's gay and art scene from the 1960s to the 1990s.
One of the city's best known drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
s of the times Johnson was a leader in clashes with the police amid the Stonewall Riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
. She was a co-founder, along with Sylvia Rivera
Sylvia Rivera
Sylvia Rae Rivera was an American transgender activist. Rivera was a founding member of both the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance and helped found STAR , a group dedicated to helping homeless young street trans women, with her friend Marsha P...
, of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries
Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries
Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries was a transgender activist organization founded in 1970 by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Marsha and Sylvia used to hustle the streets in order to keep their children from having to do the same to feed and shelter themselves...
(S.T.A.R.) in the early 1970s. She also was the "mother" of S.T.A.R. House along with Sylvia, getting together food and clothing to help support the young queens living in the house on the lower East Side of New York.
Once, appearing in a court the judge asked Marsha, "What does the 'P' stand for?", Johnson gave her customary response "Pay it No Mind." This phrase became her trademark. In 1974 Marsha P. Johnson was photographed by famed artist Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, as part of a "ladies and gentlemen" series of polaroids featuring drag queens. An interview with Marsha P. Johnson by gay activist Allen Young (writer)
Allen Young (writer)
Allen Young is an American journalist, author and editor who is also a social, political and environmental activist.-Early life:Allen Young, born in Liberty, N.Y., on June 30, 1941, to Rae Young and Louis Young. His parents, both secular Jews, spent their youth in New York City, then relocated to...
can be found in the book "Out of the Closets: Voices of Gay Liberation," originally published in 1972 and available in a new edition from New York University Press.
In July 1992, Johnson's body was found floating in the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
off the West Village Piers shortly after the 1992 Pride March. Police ruled the death a suicide. Johnson friends and supporters said she was not suicidal, and a people's postering campaign later declared that Johnson had earlier been harassed near the spot where her body was found. Attempts to get the police to investigate the cause of death were unsuccessful.
Today Johnson's legacy still survives, and popular New York City art band Antony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons is a music group presenting the work of Antony Hegarty and his collaborators.-Career:British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Antony's music through his Durtro label. The debut album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released...
adopted their name from Johnson.