Monument to Marsha P. Johnson Johnso n
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ABOUT THE ICON Marsha “Pay it No Mind” Johnson was a black trans woman who was a champion for LGBTQ+ rights and a leader in the fight for queer equality and ending the AIDS epidemic. She rose to prominence in the New York City queer nightlife scene in the 1960’s, and started her activist work during the late 60’s/early 70’s. She was a performer who often did gigs at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street that is most known for the Stonewall riots of June 28th, 1969. Marsha was a driving force behind this riot, which was the birth of the gay liberation movement. When the police first raided the bar and started arresting people for being gay or being in drag, Marsha through a shot glass at the mirror behind the bar and chaos erupted. On this summer night, Marsha along with many other trans women of color and queer people began the pride movement, and took the first steps towards equality for LGBTQ+ people worldwide. She became a leader of the Gay Liberation Front, an organization that held the first gay pride marches on the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Along with a lot of notable activist work, Marsha was a kind soul, a great leader and a loyal friend. Despite all the things that made society turn its nose up at Marsha, she was a shining example of queerness and acceptance in a time where it was hard to be out and proud as a member of the LGTBQ+ community.
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PROPOSAL Marsha P. Johnson deserves a monument because she is too often forgotten about in the discussion of LGBTQ+ liberation. She was an incredibly polarizing figure; black, trans, HIV positive and not afraid to challenge authority and get in trouble for standing up for what she believed was right. She lived in a society that told her she was worth nothing, and she made an incredible impact on that society. This monument is not only for Marsha, but also to all black and trans people who planted the seeds of revolution and started the movement for gay people to secure rights in this country, but are still being treated worse due to rampant racism and transphobia. White cis members of the LGBTQ+ community often take their sexual freedom for granted, and then shame and exclude trans women and queer women of color even though they are the ones who fought for gay rights from the very beginning. Two monuments will be created. One will stand in the garden behind Potomac Heights on George Mason University campus, and the other outside the Stonewall Inn on Christopher St., New York City. The Stonewall is the birthplace of the gay rights liberation movement, and it seems fitting that one of the early leaders of the movement would be memorialized and honored with a spot outside the historic queer space. George Mason University prides itself on being very inclusive, and places an emphasis on LGBTQ+ and black history around its campus. On Mason campus, the monument will be placed outside Student Union 1, the building where the LGBTQ+ resource office is housed. This will let students know that this is a safe space of queer people, as well as a university that values the contributions of Marsha and her sisters in revolution.
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SKETCH The proposed monument is a bench with a life size sculpture of Marsha in bronze sitting on the right side. Marsha was very personable and approachable, and this style of monument carries on that legacy of kindness. On the bench, it will read “Pay It No Mind”. This was what the “P” in Marsha’s name stood for, and it was the answer she gave when she was asked about her gender. The phrase serves as a modern day reminder to members of the LGBTQ+ community that they don’t owe anybody an explanation of their sexuality or gender. The bench will allow visitors to sit with Marsha, just as she often sat in New York City parks, educating people and fighting for queer rights.
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THE STONEWALL
It was at the Stonewall where Marsha began her activism shortly after she moved to New York City. It was there she met Sylvia Rivera, another trans woman of color in a similar situation, and the two became frequent collaborators in protests around the city. Marsha Marsha and Sylvia protesting near the Stonewall and Sylvia started an organization called Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, STAR for short, which provided shelter and other necessities to homeless LGBTQ+ people in New York City, Chicago, California and London. During this time, lots of young queer people left their homes (whether by choice or not) and moved to these places in hopes of starting a new life with more freedom to love who they wanted to. Marsha and Sylvia felt called to use what they had to help homeless gay and trans youth in hopes to provide an easier experience for the next generation of queer people of color.
After the gay rights movement rose to prominence in the late 1970’s, the trans women and people of color who started the cries for liberation had their platforms taken over by cis white people. This is another reason why foremothers and fathers of the queer liberation movement need to be celebrated and honored; there would have been no such movement without them.
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Marsha in one of her famous hand-made outfits
Marsha giving up her title at Miss Stonewall, one of the only drag pageants of the 1970’s 8
Marsha was a revolutionary figure in the queer community, but there is still lots of work to be done. Queer youth, especially youth of color, are exceptionally at risk for things like homelessness, suicide and assault. Trans rights are under attack through legislations across the country. Here is a list of organizations involved with housing and helping trans/ queer youth of color: Marsha P. Johnson Institute https://marshap.org/ For the Gworls https://www.instagram.com/forthegworls/ Black Trans Femmes in the Arts https://twitter.com/BTFAcollective Black Transmen Inc. https://blacktransmen.org/get-involved/
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“You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.”
- Marsha P. Johnson
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Graham Boyle George Mason University