Gay Liberation and AIDS Activist Marsha P. Johnson (1945–1992)
From subculture hero to history making icon who helped ignite a revolution
“We have to be visible. We should not be ashamed of who we are.”
— Marsha P. Johnson
The outside world viewed Marsha P. Johnson as part of a subculture within a subculture. However, the marginalization of her existence couldn’t diminish her efforts to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. To them, the happy-go-lucky, full-of-life drag queen was a hero who rose from anonymity to worldwide fame.
Johnson was born Malcolm Michaels Jr. on August 24, 1945. At age five, she first tried on women’s clothing, but unwelcome advances from neighborhood boys forced her to stop. Her mother told her she’d have to leave the house if she was gay. After graduating high school, Johnson moved to New York with fifteen dollars and whatever clothing she could carry.
Life in the new city was challenging. She had little money and eventually fell into prostitution and homelessness. In 1966, Johnson moved to Greenwich Village and began exploring her identity. She alternated between her birth name and “Black Marsha,” a drag-queen persona she created. Soon, she was known as Marsha P. Johnson…
