The Lasting Legacy of Marsha P. Johnson

TO PREFACE: This paper was written for my freshman English class with the assignment being to write about someone or something deserving the status of "American Icon." Below you will find my submission about LGBT+ activist Marsha P. Johnson, who I believe has done more than enough to deserve to be labeled an American Icon.

"LGBT people have come a long way in the last generation; the country has come a long way in the last generation; and the Supreme Court has come a long way in the last generation” (Totenburg). Since the dawn of time, people have been fighting for their right to be heard, represented, and accepted in modern day society. They riot, they protest, they make any attempt to gain a place in the world as it is today. During the 1960s, one of the most prominent of these movements was the LGBT+ rights movement. Hundreds of thousands of activists protested the ban on gay marriage, and it was a mere six years ago that it was legalized and became protected by federal law. This is all thanks to demonstrators such as Marsha P. Johnson. Marsha P. Johnson deserves the status of being an american icon due to her work in egalitarianism, making LGBT+ rights a mainstream topic throughout the 20th century, and inspiring millions in the quest to find themselves.

Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, to Malcolm Michaels Sr. and Alberta Claiborne and started her work in civil rights activism in the late 1960s. She was born to the deadname Malcolm Michaels Jr. and labeled herself not as transgender, but as a “gender non-conforming drag queen,” although the term transgender was not in wide use at the time. Psychologists that work in gender studies believe that, had she been acquainted with the term, it is likely how she would have identified (Chan).

By the age of five, Johnson had begun to dress in more feminine clothing, being reprimanded often by her parents (Washington). When she moved from New Jersey to New York, she began to find an identity for herself in Greenwich Village, the location of the Stonewall Inn, and the riots that made her famous. The Stonewall Riots were a catalyst for the Gay Liberation movement of the late 1960’s, the event’s date being the reason pride month is celebrated in June. The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in New York that was often ransacked by police and had its bargoers arrested regularly under “questionable circumstance” (Washington). This progressed into an attempt to burn down the bar itself, which is when the riots began. At this time, Johnson made her legacy, throwing a shot glass at a police officer and proclaiming for all around, “I got my civil rights!” (Carter).

In the beginning, most were against Johnson and her cause. Her lifestyle was one that was quite taboo and even is now, more than fifty years later. Herself, along with Jackie Hormona and Zazu Nova were labeled as “three individuals known to have been in the vanguard,” in relation to the Stonewall Uprising of 1969 (Carter). Throughout the years, Johnson became more involved in her work. She was friends with dozens of those working towards the goal of having an egalitarian society.

Marsha P. Johnson’s goal as an activist was to work towards equality for LGBT+ and PoC rights. She was very outspoken about her cause and made an effort towards gaining others to rally behind her cause. Millions of people have gone through the same experiences as Johnson, giving her an emotional appeal due to the fact that many may see her as a kindred spirit or someone they can relate to. She was always working with homeless LGBT+ youth in her home state of New York, helping them to find their place in the world as she did herself.

Johnson also held a sort of political appeal, aiming for the legalization of things such as gay marriage or simply the act of being an openly transgender person in the tumultuous world of civil rights in the United States. Although the political side of the issue was difficult, what was even more difficult was gaining the favor of the public. When working in such a defined and controversial field, it proved difficult to get others to understand her cause and why she felt so passionately about it. Along with this, it is hard for someone working in such a specific group to break out into other circles that may be broader and have higher appeal to the general public.

As it stands, LGBT+ history is not taught in nearly any schools in the United States. It isn’t viewed as important, and only four states are legally required to include it in their curriculums (Leins). With the growing number of states teaching LGBT+ history, it is beginning to become a much more mainstream topic. The fact of the matter is, as children, people are often sheltered from such things because they are seen as “dirty” or “wrong,” when in truth there is nothing wrong or negative about being LGBT+ or the history behind it. It makes up an important section of United States history and deserves to be taught as much as the writing of the constitution or the story of coming to the Americas.

Along with laws regarding whether it should be taught, fluctuating laws revolving around the current legality of “LGBT-ness,” prove to have gained more support than would have been previously believed. Up to 63% of Americans hold the belief that gay marriage should be legal within the United States, regardless of circumstance (Totenburg). With more and more people coming around to and accepting the idea of LGBT+ teaching, people such as Johnson will not go unremembered, and their legacies shall stand the test of time against those who sought to oppose them.

Marsha P. Johnson dedicated her life to the rights of others and held true to her beliefs up until her death. Her inspiring work in civil rights, her aim to help those who did not have the means to do so themselves, and making LGBT+ rights a mainstream topic in todays world make Johnson more than befit to be labeled as an american icon. Few have achieved the marvelous things she did, making a name for herself in a world that was not always completely willing to accept her. Johnson and the policies she stood for will forever be remembered as a foundation for civil rights in the United States.

Works Cited

Carter, David. Stonewall: the Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution. Griffin, 2011.

Chan, Sewell. “Marsha P. Johnson, a Transgender Pioneer and Activist.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Mar. 2018, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/obituaries/overlooked-marsha-p-johnson.html.

Leins, Casey. “These States Require Schools to Teach LGBT History.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 14 Apr. 2019, www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-08-14/states-that-require-schools-to-teach-lgbt-history.

Puig, Claudia. “'The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson' Review: Trans Icon Celebrated in New Doc.” TheWrap, TheWrap, 5 Oct. 2017, 14:32, www.thewrap.com/the-death-and-life-of-marsha-p-johnson-review-lgbt-david-france/.

Reynolds, Daniel. “What Would Marsha P. Johnson Do Today?” ADVOCATE, Advocate.com, 9 May 2017, www.advocate.com/film/2017/5/09/what-would-marsha-p-johnson-do-today.

Totenberg, Nina. “Supreme Court Delivers Major Victory To LGBTQ Employees.” NPR, NPR, 15 June 2020, www.npr.org/2020/06/15/863498848/supreme-court-delivers-major-victory-to-lgbtq-employees.

Washington, KC. “Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992) •.” BlackPast, 6 July 2020, www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/marsha-p-johnson-1945-1992/.