And that's just not okay. As the officers began to arrest people for violating various discriminatory laws, the patrons of the Stonewall fought back. The first pride parades started in 1970, but Rivera and other transgender people were discriminated against and discouraged from participating. How did Marsha feel about this? She was sometimes homeless and living on the streets but almost always present for decades. Lee: On one hand, I get tired of the trope that the Black community is somehow more homophobic or more transphobic. In June of 2019, just as New York City was entering their month of Pride celebrations, the City announced its plans to build two monuments honoring the late Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera for their lifelong commitment to ending oppression for marginalized communities. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. In 1970, Sylvia came to Marsha with an idea. Nearly 24 young people called the truck home. Marsha taught Sylvia how to apply makeup, live on the street, and look out for trouble. especially the women. However, Johnson also found a community in the city, especially after meeting Latina drag queen Sylvia Rivera. The Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA), New York State Office of the Attorney General,https://ag.ny.gov/civil-rights/sonda-brochure. She remains one of the most recognized and admired LGBTQ+ advocates. Her activism led her to become one of the most influential figures in the gay liberation movement. Lee: And I don't want to necessarily use the word hurt. Why do you think Marshas life has started to gain more attention in recent years? (LAUGH) But is her name and folks who came after her and worked alongside her, are those names forgotten, overlooked by accident, by intent? For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. New-York Historical Society Library. What opportunities did she find? Johnson is also now the subject of many documentaries. I am a senior. And we need the in-between. Her father was absent and her mother died by suicide when Rivera was 3 years old. Rivera was born in New York City in 1951 to a father from Puerto Rico and a mother from Venezuela. We lose a lot of nuance there. Lee: We're in this moment here where there is so much energy around the Black Lives Matter movement. New-York Historical Society. Apparently, the truck was not abandoned after all. Lee: How much does class play in all this? And I didn't get downtown till about 2:00. When you hear J.K. Rowling saying that, what's your response to that? Turns out we're not there. Photo by Leonard Fink, Courtesy LGBT Community Center National History Archive, Leonard Fink, Courtesy of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. At her funeral, hundreds of people showed up at the church; it was so crowded that people stood on the street. But inevitably, you are all of your identities at one time. She also encouraged Sylvia to love herself and her identity. We know that homophobia and transphobia knows no bounds. Screen excerpts from this film so that students can hear directly from Marsha and the people in her life. This video was created by the New-York Historical Society Teen Leaders in collaboration with the Untold project. History isnt something you look back at and say it was inevitable, it happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities. Marsha P. Johnson, How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? Unknown photographer, A Typical Boomer Family, ca. You know, I thought that we were at a point where we were past a lot of his misgivings or misconceptions about transness. To celebrate Pride month and to honor the current protests in our country, here are nine of Marsha P. Johnson's most timeless quotes. A heads up: some of the fan-made artwork is available for purchase and goes towards a good cause. RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU "I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville, until I became a drag queen." Johnson adored wearing colorful, fun outfits that she made from finds at thrift stores and discarded items; she was also often seen wearing a crown of flowers. Wells, Anna Julia Cooper were sidelined as Black women. My name is still in story. Cooking for myself, right? I don't think any of us have the luxury of focusing on one group or the other. To wear clothes typically associated with a different sex and is most commonly used to describe men who wear make-up and womens clothing. (LAUGH) I almost don't have time to tweet on some days 'cause I'm so busy. Jen Carlson, Activists Install Marsha P. Johnson Monument in Christopher Park, Gothamist, August 25, 2021. reinc: The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. The P stood for Pay It No Mind. To her, this was a life motto and a response to questions about her gender. And people don't want to say that because I think there's this idea that the biggest enemy is white supremacy, but that is a fallacy. You really can't have either one without the other. Rivera said in an interview in 2001 that while she did not throw the first Molotov cocktail at the police (a long-enduring myth), she did throw the second. To honor Johnsons life, public art will be included and interpretive park signage throughout the park will share her story. It was difficult for Marsha to find work. In front of a crowd at that rally for Black trans lives, she had this to say. Steve Lickteig is executive producer of audio. By Source, Fair use,https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38099161. New-York Historical Society Library. A veteran of the 1969 Stonewall Inn uprising, Sylvia Rivera was a tireless advocate for those silenced and disregarded by larger movements. Johnsons father worked on the General Motors Assembly Line in Linden, NJ and her mother was a housekeeper. Not long after moving to New York, then 17-year-old Johnson met 11-year-old Sylvia Rivera. For Black trans lives especially, is this a time? The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. To learn more, check out the vocabulary resource guides from. Marsha P Johnson, born 24 August, 1945, holds a special place within the LGBTQ+ community for her larger-than-life spirit and trans rights activism. [2]Two Transgender Activists Are Getting a Monument in New York Lee: You know, of course we've had this conversation around feminism and other movements before, whether women who are part of the movement are Black first or are they women first, gender first. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, ca. I've been around them for years, from working the streets. Marsha P. Johnson at the First Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1970. I think about the Stonewall riots, and there were important Black trans folks who were on the front lines during that queer militant uprising back in 1969 against the New York Police Department. On July 6, 1992, Marshas body was found floating in the Hudson River. She questioned where transgender people fit in. Content Warning: This resource addresses physical and sexual violence. She spoke publicly about it and told people she hoped they would not be afraid of those who had the disease. The Rudy Grillo Collection, Rudy Grillo / LGBT Community Center Archive. I think about how Black cis women like Breonna Taylor so often fall under the radar of a zeitgeist that prioritizes men regardless of your racial or ethnic background. Rivera frequently experienced homelessness and had problems with substance abuse. She began performing with the drag group, Hot Peaches. She attracted the attention of many, including the pop artist Andy Warhol who included her in a series of prints in 1975 entitled Ladies and Gentlemen. In an interview Johnson did for a 1972 book, she said her ambition was to see gay people liberated and free and to have equal rights that other people have in America. She wanted to see her gay brothers and sisters out of jail and on the streets again. In another interview, she said as long as gay people dont have their rights all across Americathere is no reason for celebration. In 1980, she was invited to ride in the lead car of the Gay Pride Parade in New York City. And they never forget it. While short-lived, STAR House was an important space for those who needed it. I think we have to have a real conversation on how white supremacy has also plagued the LGBTQ+ movement since its inception. Dunlap, David W., Sylvia Rivera, 50, Figure in Birth of the Gay Liberation Movement,New York Times, February 20, 2002,https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/20/nyregion/sylvia-rivera-50-figure-in-birth-of-the-gay-liberation-movement.html. WebToday, historians and former friends of Marsha describe her as a trans woman. Note: Marshas life story includes a large amount of vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to teachers and students. And I think that we do a disservice by allowing folks who lead Black liberation movements to envision liberation as contingent on one identity or one experience. STAR House then moved to a dilapidated building, which they tried to fix up, but the group was evicted after eight months. Lee: By the time Marsha died in 1992, people rarely talked about her role in the movement. Immediately after graduating from Thomas A. Edison High School, Johnson moved to New York City with one bag of clothes and $15. Well never share your email with anyone else, Susan Devaney, Marsha P Johnsons Activism Matters Now More than Ever,. I think about just two days after George was murdered, Tony McDade was murdered in Tallahassee, Florida, a Black transgender man. An infectious disease that attacks a persons immune system and can be difficult to treat. Invite students to. Black trans lives matter. You know, and so when I think about the murders of Black trans women at the hands of Black cis men, I'm very particular about how and when and where I have those conversations because inevitably what is happening to us will be used in the service of white supremacy against Blackness writ large. We can educate you, learn the history. Wilchins, Riki, A Woman for Her Time,The Village Voice, February 26, 2002,https://www.villagevoice.com/2002/02/26/a-woman-for-her-time/. In 1973, Rivera participated in the Gay Pride Parade but was not allowed to speak, despite the amount of work and advocacy she had done. Lee: This is from a 1989 interview with journalist Eric Marcus. Currently, LGTBQ+ monuments are not among the Citys public statues. June 7, 1999. The Stonewall uprising was an awakening for an entire generation of LGBTQ activists. The first STAR House was in the back of an abandoned truck in Greenwich Village. And I think what is consistent unfortunately is the sidelining of our voices and the sidelining of our experiences and work. Protest Leader: Black trans power matters. The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. Speaking of white women, (LAUGH) and as we know that white women played a role in white supremacy and have always played a reinforcing role in that and also a role in the patriarchy, right?
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