Civil Rights & Activism

Marsha P. Johnson

Born August 24, 1945 · Elizabeth, New Jersey · Joined the Ancestors July 6, 1992

A key figure in the Stonewall uprising and tireless advocate for LGBTQ+ rights — Marsha P. Johnson was a revolutionary whose courage helped launch the modern gay rights movement and whose compassion saved countless lives on the streets of New York.

Known For

Stonewall uprising leader

Co-Founded

STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries)

Legacy

Pioneer of transgender rights

Marsha P. Johnson was born Malcolm Michaels Jr. in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After arriving in Greenwich Village in 1966, Johnson became a fixture of the neighborhood — known for her flamboyant style, generous spirit, and fearless presence.

On June 28, 1969, Johnson was among those who resisted the police raid at the Stonewall Inn — a confrontation that ignited the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. She was reportedly among the first to fight back, and became one of the uprising's most recognizable figures.

In 1970, Johnson and her close friend Sylvia Rivera co-founded STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), one of the first organizations in the country dedicated to helping homeless transgender youth. For decades, Johnson was a beloved community figure, an AIDS activist with ACT UP, and a model for Andy Warhol. Her death in 1992 was ruled a suicide but is widely considered suspicious. She remains a towering icon of LGBTQ+ liberation.