A Woman to Know: Marsha P. Johnson
It really doesn't matter if you ain't got soul. — Marsha
(image via Giphy)
The legendary drag queen and tire LGBTQ activist performed at Christopher Street nightclubs in the evenings and advocated for sex workers and trans prisoners in her daytime life. Marsha and her friend Sylvia Rivera are known for their roles in the Stonewall Riot; Marsha allegedly smashed a shot glass against a mirror when police entered the club. In the midst of the gay rights movement, Sylvia and Marsha created S.T.A.R. House, a New York institution that continues to provide shelter for homeless trans youth.
The P in her name? "Pay It No Mind."
Add to your reading list:
The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle (Lillian Faderman)
Read more:
Stuck in Stonewall (The New Yorker)
The 1969 Advocate Article on the Stonewall Riots (The Advocate)
Meet the Trans Women of Color Who Helped Put Stonewall on the Map (Mic)
Why these influential black activists were left out of the history books (The Huffington Post)
Marsha P. Johnson is the "saint of Christopher Street" in Stonewall film (LGBTQ Nation)
Celebrating the forgotten heroines of black history (The Huffington Post)
Watch more:
Pay It No Mind (The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson)
Sylvia Rivera reflects on the spirit of Marsha Johnson (Vimeo)
This the Marsha P. Johnson movie "Stonewall" should have been (Fusion)
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