Hello everyone!!!
Wow… it’s been a hot minute since I made a post.Today I just wanted to talk about a new movie that I saw on Netflix the other day. The Life and Death of Marsha P Johnson. I thought it was great and wanted to share it with more people.
If you don’t know who she is then let me give you some backstory, Marsha P Johnson. According to the article “Remembering Marsha P. Johnson” by The Peak, a student newspaper for the Simon Fraser University, she was a gay and trans rights activist, most notably remembered for her involvement in the Stonewall riots of 1969. She along with another trans woman Sylvia Rivera headed trans rights activism despite their many struggles. Together they created the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) to help homeless trans youth. Though it is important to remember, Marsha was a Black trans woman and that put a major target on her back. The article On Marsha P. Johnson’s Birthday, Remembering her True Legacy highlights her black identity and how even today it is Black trans youth that face more violence than any other trans youth.
But Marsha should not be remembered for her struggles, her work is amazing! Most articles and news sources, except the transphobic and homophobic ones, remember her as an icon. In fact, the article by The Peak even highlights the time she and Rivera marched in front of the 1973 pride parade after being banned from marching in it. THAT is icon behavior.
The main focus of this documentary was not Johnson’s work, it was her death. In 1992 she was found dead in the Hudson River and police ruled in a suicide without any further investigation. This is in spite of the fact that many of her friends thought it was foul play and reported seeing an injury on the back of her head. The documentary follows Victoria Cruz as she tries to uncover the real reason behind her friend Marsha’s death.
Though very little is discovered, this film is bringing up old conversations. The article Stonewall uprising: 50 years later—Emerging challenges for LGBTQ communities around the world brings up how trans identities are not researched as well as other queer identities. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera started the conversation and it is up to us to continue it. One point the paper brings up is “In contrast, a more strongly developed gender identity was related to greater gender identity discrimination and less inclusion in the community.” (Arcidiacono and Carbone 641). This just further emphasizes how trans identities are excluded. Though, Johnson’s and Rivera’s STAR house is a testament of how community is the most integral part of living your true self. This is something highlighted in The Afterward: Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson in the Medieval Imaginary by Joy Ellison and Nicholas Hoffman who wrote about the accomplishments of the two women.
Overall, the movie provides a good entry point to learning about the life of Marsha P. Johnson. While it does focus on the investigation of her death, there are flashbacks to her work and involvement in activism. It is a reminder that even though her life was cut short, she helped millions of people around