by Sarah Grooms
During Black History Month, we tend to neglect the Black LGBTQ activists who helped our struggles. In the name of inclusion, which mattered so much to the individual I will focus on, I would like to introduce you all to Marsha P Johnson, mother of stonewall and birther of S.T.A.R. Marsha P Johnson was born on August 24,1945 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After her completion of high school, she moved to New York with $15 and a bag of clothes . She would find a place in the vibrant street life of Greenwich Village A.K.A “ The Village”.
If you are unaware of the Stonewall Riots , you my friend are unaware of gay culture, and the start of gay activism. For those who don’t know the Stonewall Riot story, you’re in for an amazing story. Stonewall Inn was purchased in 1966 by the Genovese crime family , they believed that there was profit in selling to the shunned clientele of the gay community. Not your white gay men. More-so trans-women, male sex workers, and homeless LGBTQ youth. It was one of the few if not the only gay bar at that time that allowed dancing. It was cheap to get in and everyone brought their own liquor into the bar.
On June 28th in the early hours of the morning, Marsha P Johnson was celebrating her 25th birthday when police came in to raid under the pretense of selling liquor without a liquor license. Now at the time it was very common for police officers to take women to the bathroom to check their sex and arrest people for cross dressing. On this particular night, the community had had enough. So as lesbians and drag queens were dragged out of the bar, while onlookers watched in horror, something just finally snapped. Too long they have stood by and have been berated and imprisoned for being themselves. So that night they fought back. And mother Marsha was one of the first people to resist the police that night . Along with her friend Sylvia Rivera who threw a bottle at the police. Had Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera stopped there, they still would have made their mark on history. They didn’t intend to stop though.
Following the six day Stonewall Riot of 69’ Marsha and Sylvia started S.T.A.R (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) they started this organization to help homeless gay and transgender youth because at that time there was no help for youth that were on the street or trans-gendered youth. They opened up their first S.T.A.R house in a parked trailer truck in Greenwich Village; it was a shelter and social safe place for trans sex workers and LGBTQ homeless youth. One day, Marsha and Sylvia came back to the truck to find it being towed with 20 youth still sleeping inside of it.
In 1988 they decided it was time to get a building. They were also trying to get from under the mafia’s control. So they brought a building at 213 second ave. But what made them angels were they paid rent for the building by doing Sex work at night. They were selfless in their defense of trans and gay youth. They sacrificed everything for the safety of others. They spent their days teaching the youth how to read and write. They ended up opening other locations across the country before coming to a end in the mid 70’s. But it was recently brought back from the ashes in New York City.
So when you think about the rights that the LGBTQ community has today please take the time to say thank you to mama Marsha and her friend for caring more about us than i have ever seen anyone care about us. These are the histories that must be examined and told. The Black struggle includes all of us, or none of us. Happy Black History Month.
