In honor of Black History Month, last February, we are sharing one of the most prominent figures of her time: Marsha P. Johnson, an African American trans woman whom is considered as the pioneer of the gay rights movement in the late sixties.
Indeed, Marsha was on the frontline of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a series of riots following the systematic raid of gay bars in the US by police officers. Marsha then dedicated her life to helping and supporting the LGBTQ+ community notably throughout two activist groups: the GLF (Gay Liberation Front) and STAR (Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries) alongside fellow transgender activist Sylvia Rivera.
Marsha tragically passed away on July 6, 1992, nevertheless, her legacy lives on within the LGBTQ+ community. She is the subject of several books, movies and documentaries such as “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson” on Netflix.
Article by Yazida-Essia Sghaier