In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to touch on the story and life of a woman who paved the way for the LGBTQ+ community: Marsha P. Johnson.
Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945 in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
As a Black transgender woman who acclaimed her identity at 5 years old, she knew from a young age that she would face many struggles with not only her sexual/gender identity, but with her race too.
Johnson grew up in a working class family and decided that after high school, she would head to New York City with just a bag of clothes and $15 in her pocket.
She found herself in Greenwich Village, where she felt a sense of comfort and belonging.
She knew that in that day and age, people may have frowned upon the fact that she dressed in wigs, makeup, and how she dressed, but she didn’t care.
She was a symbol of pride and defiance in the LGBTQ+ community and didn’t want to just fit into the gender norms but rather be her own authentic self.
Her fearlessness was what made her change her name to Marsha P. Johnson, with the P standing for “pay it no mind.”
This phrase stood with her so heavily because it represented the shield from judgment that she had against those who tried to stop her movement.
Johnson is best known for being a protestor in the 1969 Stonewall riots, where she stood up for LGBTQ+ rights, which changed the trajectory of this community in America forever.
A year later, the first gay pride parade occurred and continues to go on every year in June during Pride Month.
After the Stonewall riots, Marsha P. Johnson co-founded STAR with her friend and fellow activist, Sylvia Rivera.
STAR was a group created to help advocate for transgender rights and youth in the LGBTQ+ community who were homeless.
They provided food, water, shelter, and support to those in need and changed the lives of so many struggling to find their way.
When Johnson passed away in 1992, the legacy she left behind continued to inspire.
She never gave up, she never stopped fighting for what she believed in, and she continued to stand up for others until the day she died.
May her story keep inspiring generations to come and teach us that no matter who we want to be, whether others may disagree, pay it no mind.