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Marsha P. Johnson was strength embodied in a person. Born Malcolm Michaels Jr., Johnson always knew something was different about her. She started wearing dresses at age five and faced abuse, ridicule, and sexual assault as a result. But that didn’t stop her. She chose the “P.” as her middle initial to stand for, “Pay it no mind.”
Johnson was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and the co-founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries. She was one of the more prominent figures in the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. But she wasn’t just known for activism. She was also a sex worker, a drag performer, and a model for Andy Warhol. With such a broad spectrum of work and causes, it’s no wonder that her words, spirit, and legacy live on today – we’re celebrating her memory with these inspiring quotes.
On Gay Rights
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“How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? I mean how many years does it take people to see that? We’re all in this rat race together!”
“As long as gay people don’t have their rights all across America, there’s no reason for celebration.”
“We want to see all gay people have a chance at equal rights, as straight people in America. We believe in picking up a gun, and starting a revolution if necessary.”
On Life
“I may be crazy, but that don’t make me wrong.”
“Nobody promised you tomorrow.”
“I don’t think you should be ashamed of anybody you know that has AIDS. You should stand as close to them as you can and help them out as much as you can. I’m a strong believer in that and that’s why I try to do that for everyone I know has the virus.”
On Equality
“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.”
“I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville, until I became a drag queen.”
“You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.”
On History
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“History isn’t something you look back at and say it was inevitable, it happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities.”
“I’d like to see the gay revolution get started… If a transvestite doesn’t say I’m gay and I’m proud and I’m a transvestite, then nobody else is going to hop up there and say I’m gay and I’m proud and I’m a transvestite for them.”
Did you know about Marsha P. Johnson before? What was your favorite quote? Comment below!
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