Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P.

Marsha P. Johnson was an American Black transgender activist, drag performer, and prominent figure in New York City’s LGBTQ rights movement. She was associated with the Stonewall uprising, co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Sylvia Rivera, and later advocated for people affected by HIV/AIDS. She died in New York City in 1992. Marsha P. Johnson is relevant to Canadian readers as a foundational figure in global LGBTQ history, including transgender rights activism and community-based support movements that influenced advocacy in Canada.

Early life

Marsha P. Johnson was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1945. Sources identify her birth name as Malcolm Michaels Jr., and she later became known as Marsha P. Johnson.

Activism

Johnson became a visible figure in New York City’s gay and transgender communities in the late 1960s and 1970s. She was associated with the Stonewall uprising and later co-founded STAR to support homeless transgender youth.

Later years and death

In her later years, Johnson remained active in LGBTQ and AIDS advocacy. She died in New York City in 1992; sources state that her body was found in the Hudson River.

Legacy

Johnson is widely remembered as an important figure in LGBTQ history, especially in transgender rights and grassroots community care. Her life has been the subject of biographies, films, and public commemorations.