BHM: Marsha P. Johnson

In this edition of our Black History Month coverage, we’re highlighting Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transgender activist who helped launch forward LGBTQ+ rights in the 1960s.

Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She was ostracized at a young age by other children for wearing dresses. In 1969, the Stonewall Riots broke out, in which patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, fought back against frequent police raised. Johnson was only 23 at the time and was in the thick of the riots, leading her community.

She went on to lead Gay Rights parades throughout New York and founded STAR, an organization that helped homeless LGBTQ+ folk in the city.

On June 26, 1992, Johnson revealed that she was HIV-positive, and a week later she was tragically found dead in the Hudson River. The death was ruled a suicide, yet it remains an open case to this ay.

In February 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo named a state park in Brooklyn after her. It’s the first state park to be named after an LGBTQ+ individual.

Although often uncredited, Johnson’s activism and advocacy were fundamental in the gay rights movement. Despite her own circumstances, she remained resolute in bettering the lives of the LGBTQ+ community and left behind a legacy that continues to this day.

If you have any stories you’d like us to cover for Black History Month, email us at newsroom@47abc.com.