marsha p johnson speech transcript

Johnson, an African American self-identified drag queen and activist, was also battling exclusion in a movement for gay rights that did not embrace her gender expression. In 2019, New York City announced that a statue of Marsha and Sylvia would be the first monument to honor trans women in the city. Now they are getting a statue in New York In a 1992 interview, Johnson said "I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen.. She also encouraged Sylvia to love herself and her identity. I actually think we're more powerful when we have numbers. On every level, Black cis folks are not doing enough to show up in new and expansive ways around gender and it's a problem. And so we've got to understand that. WebIn December 1970, Liza Cowan of WBAI saddle down with members of and novel formed Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (or S So thank you very much for your time. 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/. And I think what is consistent unfortunately is the sidelining of our voices and the sidelining of our experiences and work. 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. She also continued to engage in sex work, not knowing any other way to make money, and continued to get arrested. Raquel Willis: There's this idea that because we are having an openly different gender experience, that we deserve the abuse that we may receive. [3] These will be the first permanent monuments dedicated to Transgender women in the state of New York. According to her nephew, Johnson always maintained a close but fraught relationship with her family back in New Jersey. She also did not have a permanent home during this time, and bounced around sleeping at friends homes, hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters. And so in the wake of the Stonewall riots, there was an entire web of nonprofit organizations that sprang out of that, right? There's only one thing they want to get up your dress. If you would like to learn more about Johnson, we recommend Netflix's documentary ' The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.' Article Correction: It was previously stated that Johnson said the quote,"No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us." Thats what made me in New York, thats what made me in New Jersey, thats what made me in the world., On Changing History: History isn't something you look back at and say it was inevitable. My revolutionary blood was going back then. In 1963, Rivera met Marsha P. Johnson and it changed her life. #RFK Presidential Announcement w/ Shannon Joy. Emma Rothberg, Sylvia Rivera, National Womens History Museum, 2021. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/Sylvia-Rivera. I found a little bit of joy having this complex, smart conversation with you. Marsha P. Johnson was one of the most prominent figures of the gay rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. And they never forget it. is a 2017 fictional short film that imagines the gay and transgender rights pioneers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in the hours that led up to the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. Thank you. Do you disentangle your identity like that? And the circumstances around his case admittedly are very murky. While it was in use during Marshas life, this term is now considered offensive and has been replaced with other terminology, such as transgender. Rivera said of Johnson that she was like a mother to me. The two were actively involved in the Stonewall Inn uprising on June 28, 1969 when patrons of the Stonewall Inna gay bar in Greenwich Village in lower Manhattanrebuffed a police raid and set a new tone for the gay rights movement. And sometimes it seems obviously clear that this person was killed because they were trans. Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. To make ends meet, she became a sex worker often getting arrested, losing count after the 100th incident. But in the 1950s and 1960s, LGBTQ peoples rights were strictly limited. But in this moment, in the fight for trans equality, is it more important to grow allies in the Black community or allies with other women? Like, does one feed the other, especially when it comes to Black trans lives? One morning, they returned to the truck just as it was pulling away with STAR residents sleeping inside. Willis: It does hurt. However, young Marsha enjoyed wearing clothing made for girls. In 1970, Johnson and Rivera founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an organization dedicated to sheltering young transgender individuals who were shunned by their families. The two also began STAR House, a place where transgender youth could stay and feel safe. Brayla was just 17. IE 11 is not supported. Sylvia was a Puerto Rican trans woman who was also new to New York. Is it a dropping of ego? 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. The story of a leader in social, environmental, and political activism and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. To learn more, check out the vocabulary resource guides from GLAAD: Transgender glossary and LGBTQ glossary. Johnsons father worked on the General Motors Assembly Line in Linden, NJ and her mother was a housekeeper. Police then reclassified the case as a drowning from undetermined cause, but the LGBTQ+ community was furious that the police refused to investigate further and that many press outlets did not cover her death. The monuments are dedicated to their legacy and to share their stories for generations to come. Willis: I definitely think that names like Marsha P. Johnson were forgotten intentionally. The story of a company founded by four US Womens National Team soccer players seeking to challenge norms and inspire lasting progress. What opportunities did she find? Episode She returned to the city in 1992 after the death of Johnson. The Gay Activist Alliance (GAA), which formed in response to Stonewall, frequently rejected the role transgender peoplethe majority of whom were people of colorhad played in the uprising. The LGBTQ community was furious the police did not investigate her death. We'll be back next week. 'Cause we're all caught up in it. Marsha was part of a growing community of LGBTQ youth who sought acceptance in New York City. Meilan Solly, New York City Monument Will Honor Transgender Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, Smithsonian Magazine, June 3, 2019, Hugh Ryan, Power to the People: Exploring Marsha P. Johnsons Queer Liberation,. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. The church was so full that the crowd spilled into the street. So, like, what are you doin'? Lee: This is from a 1989 interview with journalist Eric Marcus. 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/. Were all in this rat race together! Marsha P. Johnson, I may be crazy, but that dont make me wrong. Marsha P. Johnson, I dont think you should be ashamed of anybody you know that has AIDS. Now they are getting a statue in New York, Brooklyns East River State Park renamed in honor of late LGBTQ activist and trans icon Marsha P. Johnson. Oportunidades Iguales Para Las Mujeres En El Trabajo y La Educaccion, Womens Strike for Equality, New York, Fifth Avenue, 1970, Eugene Gordon photograph collection, 1970-1990. 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. The P stood for Pay It No Mind. To her, this was a life motto and a response to questions about her gender. She noted that many people had to die in order for two statues to be erected. Much of Marshas life story has been pieced together through interviews featured in the documentary. 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. Despite her popularity, Marsha also lived a life of poverty and danger. 2022. WebIn 1963, Rivera met Marsha P. Johnson and it changed her life. Lee: On one hand, I get tired of the trope that the Black community is somehow more homophobic or more transphobic. Not long after moving to New York, then 17-year-old Johnson met 11-year-old Sylvia Rivera. How can food be used as a form of cultural memory & resistance? Subscribers get each new issue of the Goodnewspaper mailed to their home, get exclusive discounts for do-good brands, fill the world with more good news, and more. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, ca. WebMarsha P. Johnson, transgender activist and urban legend, was never one to mince words. Willis: No, I think that we have to find pockets of joy. Police are treating her death as a homicide. The troubles she experienced as a child followed her into adulthood. Lee: You know, I don't want to either/or it or make it too reductive or too simple. Throughout Greenwich Village, she was known as Saint Marsha. Locals admired her ability to truly be herself. For Black trans lives especially, is this a time? [5]Brooklyns East River State Park renamed in honor of late LGBTQ activist and trans icon Marsha P. Johnson, Download the official NPS app before your next visit, "From the Vault: Sylvia Rivera & Marsha P. Johnson, 1970," Making Gay History Podcast, Marsha P. Johnsons Activism Matters Now More Than Ever, Site Renderings for Marsha P. Johnson State Park, LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History, "These transgender icons will be the first to get statues in the US", "'The Death And Life Of Marsha P. Johnson' Shows Fight For Social Justice Isn't Finished", "Two Transgender Activists Are Getting a Monument in New York", Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman, was a central figure in the gay liberation movement, Two Transgender Activists Are Getting a Monument in New York, These transgender icons will be the first to get statues in the US, The transgender women at Stonewall were pushed out of the gay rights movement. Marsha described herself as a gay person, a transvestite, and a drag queen. 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. Leonard Fink / LGBT Community Center Archive. 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. 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. It will be the citysand according to New York City, the worldsfirst monument dedicated to transgender individuals. A decade later, Sylvia lost her battle to cancer. We should not be ashamed of who we are. Marsha P. Johnson, Id like to see the gay revolution get started If a transvestite doesnt say Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite, then nobody else is going to hop up there and say Im gay and Im proud and Im a transvestite for them. Marsha P. Johnson, Darling, I want my gay rights now! Marsha P. Johnson. There are plenty of cis women who don't check off a lot of criterias that are considered womanhood. They're really insulting to women. The film stars Mya Taylor as Johnson and Eve Lindley as Rivera.. The weight is heavy, and there's a lot to be concerned, sad, angry about. New-York Historical Society. Like, it's hard to know in the moment. When a Warhol screen-print of Marsha went on display in a Greenwich Village store, Marsha took some friends to see it. Emma Rothberg, Sylvia Rivera, National Womens History Museum, 2021. Both women continued to be persistent voices for the rights of people of color and low-income queer and Trans communities for the remainder of their lives; Marshas life was cut short in 1992, though the details of her death remain a mystery. Raised by her grandmother, Rivera began experimenting with clothing and makeup at a young age. 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.

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