Life Story: Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992)

Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She was identified as male at birth. However, young Marsha enjoyed wearing clothing made for girls. After a boy sexually assaulted her, she stopped wearing the clothes she loved and felt most comfortable in. 

After graduating high school, Marsha moved to New York City with only $15 and a bag of clothes. She began dressing almost exclusively in women’s clothes and adopted the full name Marsha P. Johnson. The “P” stood for “Pay It No Mind.” To her, this was a life motto and a response to questions about her gender.

Today, historians and former friends of Marsha describe her as a trans woman. During Marsha’s lifetime, the term transgender was not commonly used. Marsha described herself as a gay person, a transvestite, and a drag queen. She used she/her pronouns.

Marsha was part of a growing community of LGBTQ youth who sought acceptance in New York City. But in the 1950s and 1960s, LGBTQ people’s rights were strictly limited. For example, dancing with a person of the same sex as well as cross-dressing were illegal.

It was difficult for Marsha to find work. She realized that the fastest way to make money was to “hustle.” This meant working as a sex worker; The work, due to stigmatization of sex workers, was incredibly dangerous. Marsha was often alone with strangers in hotel rooms and cars. Sometimes, the strangers were violent. On multiple occasions, clients pulled guns on Marsha. Once, she was even shot.

Marsha spent most of her life without a permanent home. She slept in hotel rooms, restaurants, and movie theaters. She sometimes lived with friends. Even when she found work waiting tables or performing in drag shows, she still made most of her money as a sex worker.

Not long after arriving in New York, 17-year-old Marsha met 11-year-old Sylvia Rivera. Sylvia was a Puerto Rican trans woman who was also new to New York. The two became instant friends. Marsha taught Sylvia how to apply makeup, live on the street, and look out for trouble. She also encouraged Sylvia to love herself and her identity.

Marsha enjoyed expressing herself through her appearance. Her lavish outfits were often made from thrift store finds, gifts from friends, and items she found on the street. She also created and wore elaborate crowns of fresh flowers.

Marsha’s life dramatically changed when she found herself near the Stonewall Inn in the early hours of June 28, 1969. That night, police officers raided the gay bar. As the officers began to arrest people for violating various discriminatory laws, the patrons of the Stonewall fought back.

While there are many conflicting stories about the uprising’s start, it is clear that Marsha was on the front lines. In one account, she started the uprising by throwing a shot glass at a mirror. In another, she climbed a lamppost and dropped a heavy purse onto a police car, shattering the windshield. Young trans women like Marsha were particularly vocal that night because they felt they had nothing to left to lose. Their rage was not just about the police. It was about the oppression and fear they felt every single day.

The Stonewall uprising was an awakening for an entire generation of LGBTQ activists. Soon, Marsha was attending rallies, sit-ins, and meetings of the newly formed Gay Liberation Front. She was excited about the work but frustrated at how white gay men and lesbians dominated the conversation. She questioned where transgender people fit in. Transpeople were more likely to be homeless and targeted by police. The movement did not appreciate the extent to which transgender youth needed help and support.

In 1970, Sylvia came to Marsha with an idea. She wanted to protect young transpeople living on the street by giving them a home. She asked Marsha to help her create a place where they could feel safe, unite, and fight for their rights. Marsha and Sylvia later formed the Street Transvestite Activist Revolutionaries (STAR). The first STAR House was in the back of an abandoned truck in Greenwich Village. Nearly 24 young people called the truck home. Sylvia and Marsha hustled every night to make sure their new family had breakfast each morning.

One morning, they returned to the truck just as it was pulling away with STAR residents sleeping inside. Apparently, the truck was not abandoned after all. As they watched their “kids” jump from a moving truck, Marsha and Sylvia realized they needed a real home. They rented a dilapidated building with no electricity or running water. They