Crowd: Black trans lives matter. Yet this was not the first time Rivera was directly involved in activism. Their rage was not just about the police. She was often abused by clients and arrested by the police. When we're talking to white people about white supremacy, we could say, "Read how to be an antiracist," right? Who Is Trans TikTok Influencer Dylan Mulvaney? series. She noted that many people had to die in order for two statues to be erected. Willis: I don't know. So it has been intentional, and it is still intentional today. Chicago Rothberg, Emma. The Stonewall Inn uprising was also a turning point in the visibility of the gay rights movement. Marsha P. Johnson. National Womens History Museum. Chicago Rothberg, Emma. Soon, Marsha was attending rallies, sit-ins, and meetings of the newly formed Gay Liberation Front. But when people are close to you and they're side, maybe they're family or people that you really respect and they don't get it, does that sting a little bit? And we were all out there. A performance artist who typically dresses up like a woman for entertainment purposes. How do you actually navigate those spaces? Life Story: Marsha P. Johnson - Women & the American So if we're gonna say we're getting rid of prisons, we're defunding the police, which I support, we have to be just as much or maybe more invested in building up the consciousness of our people to be able to actually hold those people who commit harm and abuse accountable in the ways that we need them to be held accountable. But how are you finding joy in this moment? I feel like what fuels a lot of the violence that may happen from Black men towards Black women comes from an innate feeling of not being man enough for whatever reason. WebMarsha P. Johnson, transgender activist and urban legend, was never one to mince words. She began dressing almost exclusively in womens clothes and adopted the full name Marsha P. Johnson. Black trans women continue to face disproportionate levels of violence. What was Marshas role in the Stonewall uprising, and how did it shape the rest of her life? Once back in the city, Rivera got involved again with the fight for the inclusion and recognition of transgender individuals. Willis: And so let today be the last day which you ever doubt Black trans power. Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City. She grabbed the microphone anyway, telling the spectators and other marchers, If it wasnt for the drag queen, there would be no gay liberation movement. Ask them to think about the kind of monument or memorial they would want to create for Marsha, based on her life story. Johnson was involved in the early days of both but grew frustrated by the exclusion of transgender and LGBTQ+ people of color from the movement. She was arrested over 100 times. She was an advocate Willis: The way that I navigate these spaces shifts. Rivera frequently experienced homelessness and had problems with substance abuse. I mean how many years does it take people to see that? Together, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera continue to inspire the fight for justice that has not been won. Sylvia Rivera, National Park Service,https://www.nps.gov/people/sylvia-rivera.htm. You should stand as close to them as you can and help them out as much as you can. Transpeople were more likely to be homeless and targeted by police. WebIn December 1970, Liza Cowan of WBAI saddle down with members of and novel formed Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (or S You know? Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. For six nights, the 17-year-old Rivera refused to go home or to sleep, saying Im not missing a minute of thisit's the revolution!, Rivera resisted arrest and subsequently led a series of protests against the raid. But Johnson spent much of her life being ostracised by society. In 2021, New York City will unveil a monument to Rivera and Johnson. Show all 45 During her speech at her New York gig, the "Born This Way" singer also celebrated transgender activist Marsha P Johnson, who played a pivotal role in the Stonewall riots. Throughout her life, she fought against the exclusion of transgender people, especially transgender people of color, from the larger movement for gay rights. Are we seeing a little bit of that now? And I think what is consistent unfortunately is the sidelining of our voices and the sidelining of our experiences and work. She also did not have a permanent home during this time, and bounced around sleeping at friends homes, hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. She returned to the city in 1992 after the death of Johnson. That is just another element of patriarchy. They were pushed out of the fight for suffrage in this country. Marsha P. Johnson. National Womens History Museum, 2022. Lee: How much does class play in all this? Within the past week, 22-year-old Mercy Mac was killed in Dallas and Brayla Stone was found dead in Arkansas. Thank you for having me. Hope y'all enjoy the long holiday weekend. Franois (Franz) Fleischbein (artist), Portrait of Betsy, 1837. Rivera was born in New York City in 1951 to a father from Puerto Rico and a mother from Venezuela. She slept in hotel rooms, restaurants, and movie theaters. Trans women, particularly women of color, were regular targets of hate crimes. And whatever I can do to use the bit of access I might have, or privilege, or platform to push the dignity of Black trans people, I'm gonna do it. Compare the lives of Marsha P. Johnson and, Connect Marshas life story to other LGBTQ individuals within, One of Marshas proudest moments was with Andy Warhol. Is there a confluence there? You know, I thought that we were at a point where we were past a lot of his misgivings or misconceptions about transness. In the early morning hours, police raided the bar and began arresting the patrons, most of whom were gay men. Or is it your gender identity first? Note: Marshas life story includes a large amount of vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to teachers and students. [2]Two Transgender Activists Are Getting a Monument in New York My name is still in story. The monuments are dedicated to their legacy and to share their stories for generations to come. We paid the rent. Although only 19, Rivera became a mother to many of the residents of STAR House. Sylvia Rivera. National Womens History Museum, 2021. All Rights Reserved. Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson: Listen to the Newly Willis: It does hurt. And you said, "Let today be the last day that you ever doubt Black trans power.". In the 1970s, Johnson experienced a series of mental health breakdowns and spent time in and out of psychiatric hospitals. TRANSCRIPT Turns out we're not there. After a boy sexually assaulted her, she stopped wearing the clothes she loved and felt most comfortable in. It is said those who threw the first brick on 'Cause we're all caught up in it. However, Johnson also found a community in the city, especially after meeting Latina drag queen Sylvia Rivera. Solly, Meilan, New York City Monument Will Honor Transgender Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, Smithsonianmag.org, June 3, 2019,https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-city-monument-will-honor-transgender-activists-marsha-p-johnson-and-sylvia-rivera-180972326/. Lee: And I don't want to necessarily use the word hurt. WebToday, historians and former friends of Marsha describe her as a trans woman. But do we have a good enough holistic nuance view of that violence? It was a time when same-sex dancing in public wasnt allowed, bars were banned from serving alcoholic drinks to gay people and cross-dressing could lead to a sexual deviancy arrest. What is it, do you think? Cihak and Zima (photographer), Ida B. Wells-Barnett, ca. I think some people try to. Invite students to research the ways in which Marshas legacy is being remembered today. She actively spoke out about the transphobia in the early gay rights movement. She said in a 1989 interview that, Before gay rights, before the Stonewall, I was involved in the Black Liberation movement, the peace movementI felt I had the time and I knew that I had to do something. New York State still persecuted gay people and frequently criminalized their activities and presence. The Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA), New York State Office of the Attorney General,https://ag.ny.gov/civil-rights/sonda-brochure. The Importance of Dialogue, Development and Acceptance I've also been planting and reminding myself through gardening indoors, I guess, that regardless of what happens, growth is still possible. However, young Marsha enjoyed wearing clothing made for girls. In 2012, the New York Police Department reopened the case into Johnsons death. Throughout the 1970s, Johnson became a more visible and prominent member of the gay rights movement. AMERICAN IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP; ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE, Major support for Women & the American Story provided by, Lead support for New-York Historicals teacher programs provided by, In 1975, artist Andy Warhol crossed paths with Marsha and photographed her for his. As they watched their kids jump from a moving truck, Marsha and Sylvia realized they needed a real home. Im a strong believer in that and thats why I try to do that for everyone I know has the virus. Marsha P. Johnson, You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights. Marsha P. Johnson, As long as gay people dont have their rights all across America, theres no reason for celebration. Marsha P. Johnson, Nobody promised you tomorrow. Marsha P. Johnson, I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville, until I became a drag queen. Marsha P. Johnson, I always just do drag. And just as there's that education, there's also the education on whiteness. I was involved with that.. The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. If you walked down Christopher Street, Marsha would receive you in the manner of a gracious host. (LAUGH) Or is it too tough? Invite students to. Marsha P. Johnson (U.S. National Park Service) At her funeral, hundreds of people showed up at the church; it was so crowded that people stood on the street. I've been around them for years, from working the streets. Hey, Luke. New-York Historical Society. We are a movement. Abigail Adams was an early advocate for women's rights. Unknown photographer, A Typical Boomer Family, ca. June 7, 1999. But then the fact that she had the energy to use her platform to demonize trans people, demonize a more marginalized group of women is problematic to me, but it's also emblematic of white womanhood. A person who does not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. To make ends meet, she became a sex worker often getting arrested, losing count after the 100th incident. Darling, I want my gay rights now. Do you disentangle your identity like that? And I think for me as an activist, I take it also to be like, "Is what I'm doing even working? MLA Rothberg, Emma. What challenges did she face there? As the gay liberation movement became increasingly white, middle class, and cisgender, STAR reminded everyone that transgender and gender non-conforming people deserved equal rights too. 2021.www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera. In 1963, Rivera met Marsha P. Johnson and it changed her life. How can food be used as a form of cultural memory & resistance? And the idea of womanhood, is it worth having to explain to people what it means to live in this identity? Today, historians and former friends of Marsha describe her as a trans woman. Encourage them to search for articles about the Marsha and Sylvia statue in New York City, Marsha P. Johnson state park in Brooklyn, and more. The Historic New Orleans Collection, acc. Johnson described herself as a gay person, a transvestite, and a drag queen and used she/her pronouns; the term transgender only became commonly used after her death. There's this idea that because we are openly gender nonconforming or having an openly different gender experience that we deserve the abuse that we may receive, and that's just not okay. I think about just two days after George was murdered, Tony McDade was murdered in Tallahassee, Florida, a Black transgender man. As we celebrate Earth Day this year, may we reflect on the wise words of environmentalists, climate activists, faith leaders, lovers of nature, and the youth of the world. Assigned male at birth, Johnson grew upin an African American, working-class family. We'll be back next week. Marsha P She was excited about the work but frustrated at how white gay men and lesbians dominated the conversation. When the organizers of the gay pride parade tried to ban STAR, they showed up anyway. In 1990, Johnson was diagnosed with H.I.V. And so cis women are also harmed by the patriarchy, and cis women are also harmed by men in our communities. And it's not just Black trans women. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The new monuments and dedicated state park mark powerful steps toward recognizing and amplifying the voices of people who have changed history in their fight for equality, but much remains to be done. #RFK Presidential Announcement w/ Shannon Joy. We lose a lot of nuance there. 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. Rivera had an incredibly difficult childhood. Invite students to study Warhols portrait of Marsha and learn about the, Invite students to learn more about the Stonewall Inn uprising by exploring the, A few days before her death, Marsha gave an interview in which she joked about the recent installment of a monument outside the Stonewall Inn. Rights for LGBTQ+ people were limited and sometimes ignored completely. 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. Sylvia and Marsha hustled every night to make sure their new family had breakfast each morning. We have an issue particularly in media where we often get to be either victims, of course, and not alive, or we're a superstar or celebrity. Gertrude Kasebier (photographer), Zitkala Sa, Sioux Indian and activist, c. 1898. 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? Wells, Anna Julia Cooper were sidelined as Black women. For Black trans lives especially, is this a time? And when that doesn't happen, I mean, you're being dehumanized on two levels. Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. About, Sylvia Rivera Law Project,https://srlp.org/about/. You may wish to start with a screening of. no. MARSHA P. JOHNSON "You Gotta Have Soul !" - YouTube She took on the name "Black Marsha," and eventually added on her famous middle initial and took her last name from a Howard Johnson restaurant she frequented. Marshas life dramatically changed when she found herself near the Stonewall Inn in the early hours of June 28, 1969. Willis: I think class affects all of it. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. How can food be used as a form of cultural memory & resistance? A progressive social reformer and activist, Jane Addams was on the frontline of the settlement house movement and was the first American woman to wina Nobel Peace Prize. A progressive social reformer and activist, Jane Addams was on the frontline of the settlement house movement and was the first American woman to wina Nobel Peace Prize. Lee: On one hand, I get tired of the trope that the Black community is somehow more homophobic or more transphobic. Rivera explained in 1998 that she and Johnson decided it was time to help each other and help our other kids. Marsha P. Johnson. National Womens History Museum. STAR House then moved to a dilapidated building, which they tried to fix up, but the group was evicted after eight months. 6 June 2020. They were not only angered by the police raid but also the oppression and fear they experienced every day. Oh, there was a lot of little chants we used to do in those days. And I think that we have to be able to hold that. Always sporting a smile, Johnson was an important advocate for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, those effected by H.I.V. Police are treating her death as a homicide. I am a senior. You know, we need the community organizers, and activists, and all those types of stories as well, and we don't often get that. Leonard Fink / LGBT Community Center Archive. We don't really talk about how we have our own conceptions of which victims are worthy of our empathy. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, ca. Marsha described herself as a gay person, a transvestite, and a drag queen. I actually think we're more powerful when we have numbers. Lee: You know, I don't want to either/or it or make it too reductive or too simple. At one point, Rivera attempted suicide. The film stars Mya Taylor as Johnson and Eve Lindley as Rivera.. Marsha P. Johnson She asked Marsha to help her create a place where they could feel safe, unite, and fight for their rights. 1890. After this experience, Rivera left New York City and activism behind for a bit. Along with Marsha P. Johnson, Rivera started the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) around 1971. While the genesis of the Stonewall Inn uprising remains shrouded in myth, theres no doubt Johnson was a key figure leading the events of June 28, 1969 some even credit her with throwing the shot glass heard around the world that started the rebellion. The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. She was beaten for doing so and, after being attacked on a school playground in sixth grade by another student, suspended from school for a week. She started Transy House, modeled off STAR House, in 1997 in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Trymaine Lee: Last month, in the middle of Pride, thousands of people gathered in Brooklyn, New York for a rally for Black trans lives. Lee: Black trans women in particular have been an important of the gay rights movement since the Stonewall uprising in 1969 in New York City. There's only one thing they want to get up your dress. And that's something other LGBTQ+ folks, particularly white ones, need to understand. What does this make you think and feel? The City intends to have the monuments installed by 2021, as part of a plan to address gender gaps in public art. The raid on Stonewall galvanized the gay rights movement. But I will say I don't think that this is just a moment for Black trans people. 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. She also continued to engage in sex work, not knowing any other way to make money, and continued to get arrested. Sylvia Rivera | National Women's History Museum She was the fifth of seven children born to Malcolm Michaels Sr. and Alberta Claiborne. 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. But inevitably, you are all of your identities at one time. Once in New York, Johnson returned to dressing in clothing made for women and adopted the full name Marsha P. Johnson; the P stood for Pay It No Mind, a phrase that became her motto. It was not easy to live on the margins. I'm Trymaine Lee. Currently, LGTBQ+ monuments are not among the Citys public statues. 1893-1894. Lee: You know, I guess it was maybe two weeks ago now at the Black Trans Lives Rally in Brooklyn, we were actually driving home to Brooklyn and it was like I'd never seen (LAUGH) almost that many people. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Raised by her grandmother, Rivera began experimenting with clothing and makeup at a young age. Silvia Rivera died of liver cancer in St. Vincents Manhattan Hospital in 2002 at the age of 50. To honor Johnsons life, public art will be included and interpretive park signage throughout the park will share her story.
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