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Marsha P. Johnson Facts & Worksheets

Marsha P. Johnson was an African-American transgender woman who was a well-known activist for LGBTQ rights.

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A transwoman named Marsha P. Johnson rose to prominence in New York City’s (LGBTQ) gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. She was renowned for being herself and not caring about criticism or ridicule for wearing and living as a lady but possessing a man’s manly characteristics. She was well-known for playing a significant role in the 1969 Stonewall rebellion. She was a famous drag performer as well.

See the fact file below for more information on Marsha P. Johnson, or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Marsha P. Johnson worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Early Life

  • Malcolm Michaels Jr., the fifth of Malcolm Michaels Sr. and Alberta Michaels’ seven children, was born Marsha on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
  • She was born with a masculine gender designation. However, young Marsha liked to dress in feminine attire. 
  • She stopped wearing the outfits she adored and felt most comfortable after being sexually attacked by a male. Her parents, especially her mother, were hostile to homosexuality.
  • Johnson spoke of being a child victim of rape by a thirteen-year-old kid in a 1992 interview. Johnson later referred to being homosexual as “some type of dream” rather than something that felt feasible, and he made the decision to postpone starting a relationship until he left for New York City at the age of 17. 
  • According to Johnson’s mother, being gay is equivalent to being “lower than a dog,” while Alberta is oblivious to the LGBTQ population, according to Johnson. Johnson’s mother supported her daughter in her desire to find a “billionaire” partner or husband to support him (Johnson) for the rest of his life.
  • Marsha went to New York City after graduating high school with only $15 and a suitcase of clothing.
  • Marsha P. Johnson became her full name once she began dressing nearly entirely in women’s clothing. The “P” stood for “Pay It No Mind,” her life slogan and reaction to gender-related inquiries.

Drag Queen

  • She went to prostitution to make ends meet after becoming homeless, and she quickly discovered a supportive group amid Christopher Street’s seedy nightlife.
  • Before landing on Marsha P. Johnson, Johnson alternated between her given name Malcolm and Black Marsha as she developed her image. She picked Johnson since she liked to hang out at the well-known restaurant.
  • Johnson created each of her outfits from scratch. She swiftly rose to prominence in the LGBTQ community as a “drag mommy” who assisted homeless and underprivileged LGBTQ children while traveling the globe as a popular drag performer with the Hot Peaches.
  • She was an unconventional, courageous, and dazzling woman known for her outrageous headgear and glitzy jewelry. Her straightforward demeanor and persistent tenacity drove her to speak out against injustices despite her struggles with mental illness and multiple police confrontations; anytime people inquired about the meaning of the “P” in her name or her gender or sexuality, she replied back with “pay it no heed.”
  • Johnson’s aggressive and violent side may occasionally surface when Johnson is unhappy or under a great deal of stress, despite the fact that Johnson was generally seen as “kind and warmhearted” and “saintly” under the Marsha persona. Some people believed that due to Johnson’s “masculine character as Malcolm,” this occurred more frequently. 
  • Robert Heide, a friend of Johnson’s, recalled that when Johnson’s violent side was showing, he could become abrasive and short-tempered, talk with a deeper voice, and, like Malcolm, “become a really nasty, terrible man, eager for fights.”

Stonewall uprising

  • Johnson was a significant figure in the riots that erupted after a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a homosexual bar on Christopher Street, early on June 28, 1969.
  • The violence was sparked by the New York Police Department’s targeting of members of New York’s LGBTQ community (NYPD). LGBTQ persons were often roused, harassed, and arrested on dubious allegations. Their rage erupted that summer Saturday when the cops returned to Stonewall Inn for the second time in two days. 
  • According to Johnson, the police had pushed her and others out onto the street the night before to line up and be frisked, then returned the next night and set fire to the Stonewall Inn.
  • Johnson, 23, and her companion Sylvia Rivera got caught up in the Stonewall Uprising, which lasted several days and is credited with sparking the Gay Movement of the late 1960s. 
  • In 1970, the Uprising inspired the first LGBTQ pride marches across the country. In the same year, Johnson and Rivera created Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a tenement on the lower east side that dressed, fed, sheltered, and advocated for transgender adolescents.

LGBTQ Rights Activist

  • The main objective of STAR was to keep other transgender people off the streets because many transgender people experience violence on the streets from intolerable people. 
  • Johnson worked to give young drag queens, trans women, gender nonconformists, and other homosexual street kids living on Christopher Street docks or in their homes on New York’s Lower East Side food, clothes, emotional support, and a sense of family. Although STAR House was relocated from its original location in 1971 and the structure was demolished, the household continued to exist throughout time in several settings.
  • After the Stonewall Riots, Marsha joined the Gay Liberation Front, another political organization. The GLF pushed for political action and tried to defend people against repressive legislation and unfair moral standards based on their sexual orientation or conduct. 
  • Homosexual Liberation Front embraces every gay person, regardless of sex, ethnicity, age, or social conduct, according to a 1970s periodical titled Come Out. Drag queens and cross-dressers may make some other homosexual groups uncomfortable, but GLF thinks we should welcome all of our kin without condition. People like Marsha and Sylvia, who identified as transgender rather than homosexual, were accepted by GLF.

Johnson’s Death and Legacy

  • Marsha suffered from a mental health condition. Additionally, Johnson had both physical and mental impairments. Johnson, a disabled Black transgender woman, was frequently detained and given medical care without her permission. As a result, she created a liberation vision that tackled several oppressive structures.
  • On July 6, 1992, Marsha died away. In New York, on the Hudson River, her body was discovered. However, many who knew her and were close to her said she was not suicidal, even though police and detectives classified her death as a suicide. 
  • He was 42 on the day of his death.
  • Marsha was harassed earlier in the day, and witnesses observed it and demanded that her death be thoroughly investigated as a possible murder. The death of Marsha P. Johnson has not been the subject of any criminal inquiry.
  • Today, Marsha’s legacy endures both within and outside the LGBTQ community. The second annual Chloe Awards occurred in New York City on May 10, 2012. The Chloe Awards pay tribute to and memorialize past activists as well as active activists today. A dance party, a ceremony, and performances are all part of the celebration of people who helped establish the transgender movement at the event.
  • The awards are named in honor of Chloe Dzubilo, a transgender activist and artist who was HIV positive and lived in the same New York neighborhood as Marsha Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Chloe succeeded Marsha and Sylvia in terms of activism and culture. After Chloe died in 2011, there was a public commemoration of her life and efforts, as well as a celebration of the lives of other transgender people.
  • In 2015, The Marsha P. Johnson Institute was established to commend the protection of the human rights of Black LGBTQ people.

Marsha P. Johnson Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Marsha P. Johnson across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Marsha P. Johnson worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Marsha P. Johnson, who was an African-American transgender woman who was a well-known activist for LGBTQ rights. She was known as a key figure in the Stonewall uprising that happened in 1969. She was also an iconic drag performer.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

  • Marsha P. Johnson Facts
  • Looking Back
  • Marsha’s Bio
  • Stonewall Wall
  • Drag Mother
  • Queens’ Quotes
  • Hail The Queens
  • Important Terms
  • Poem About Marsha
  • Death of a Legend
  • My Pride Flag

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Marsha Johnson famous for?

A transwoman named Marsha P. Johnson rose to prominence in New York City’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities. She was renowned for being herself and not caring about criticism or ridicule for wearing and living as a lady but possessing a man’s manly characteristics. She was well-known for playing a significant role in the 1969 Stonewall rebellion. She was a famous drag performer as well.

What does the P stand for in Marsha P Johnson?

Marsha P. Johnson became her full name once she began dressing nearly entirely in women’s clothing. The “P” stood for “Pay It No Mind,” her life slogan and reaction to gender-related inquiries.

How did Marsha P Johnson make money?

She went to prostitution to make ends meet after becoming homeless, and she quickly discovered a supportive group amid Christopher Street’s seedy nightlife.

How old is Marsha Johnson?

He was 42 on the day of his death.

What disabilities did Marsha P. Johnson have?

Marsha suffered from a mental health condition. Additionally, Johnson had both physical and mental impairments. Johnson, a disabled Black transgender woman, was frequently detained and given medical care without her permission. As a result, she created a liberation vision that tackled several oppressive structures.

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Use With Any Curriculum

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