Marsha P. Johnson
Marsha P. Johnson was an American gay liberation activist and self-identified drag queen. Known as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Johnson was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Marsha was a fixture of the West Village scene and was often referred to as 'Saint Marsha'. She is believed to have been a key figure in the Stonewall Uprising, which helped to usher in the gay and trans rights movements . Meanwhile, together with Sylvia Rivera, she founded the "Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries", which offered support to homeless gay and trans youth.
Marsha's activism may be seen as a cause from the inspiration from more modern intersectional waves of feminism - a more postmodernist branch of feminism which specifies on the importance of using feminism to combat all oppressive forms of authority that effect and hold back feminine identities, for example, combating unjust proceedings such as racism, homophobia, transphobia, discrimination between class, etc., and not just mutually focusing on a particular branch of feminism known as 'white feminism', which was well-known for focusing on just resolving the 'feminine struggles' of just purely middle class white women. The first notable action of intersectional feminism was instigated by Kimberle Crenshaw, who was actually born the year of stonewall riots, well known for her advocacy in American civil rights and being one of the leading scholars of critical race theory.
Marsha was known for a famous quote, "Pay it no mind", she often said that the "P" in her name stood for "Pay it no mind", because to her it was a life motto she lived by and frequently used it as a response to questions about her gender and she didn't understand the significance of segregating everyone and putting people into groups because of a label they were given at birth and that society should become more fluid.
“Marsha’s political tool was happiness … she used happiness as a way to organize people, a way to motivate people, a way to support people who were in terrible need of support who were not getting it elsewhere,”
- David France
Although, it was believed that Marsha was a joyful and cheery idol that stood up for her community and what she believed was right, many others in general public had discourse to her beliefs and this was brought up as rumour when Johnsons body was found floating down the Hudson River in the July of 1992 and her death was originally declared as an act of suicide, however, controversy and protest following her death, allowed her case to be reopened as being a possible homicide, but police and government didn't seem to share any second thought on Johnson and what happened to her.
The reason why I have decided to do extra research into the work of Marsha P. Johnson and her activism and work in founding the trust, "Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries", where she helped support homeless gay and trans youth. However, she is also one of the models in a piece of work I aim to take inspiration from, "Ladies and Gentlemen" by Andy Warhol. Warhol made this series of screen prints with images of 1970s New York trans community, and one of the portraits is of Johnson.
I feel as though Andy Warhol's series, "Ladies and Gentlemen" links very well with both technical and conceptual ideas within my project, such as the exploration of femininity and how it can be portrayed in an artistic forum, the ideas of intersectionality, working with screenprints, and many more. I really like Warhol's work as a whole in particular "Ladies and Gentlemen" as he has composed these spirited images with a vibrant colour palette, to draw spectators and viewers to look at his work and get into a more of an understanding of the conceptuality behind his work, for example, in this instance, Warhol was focusing on portraying and empowering drag and trans icons within the trans community of New York in the 70s, such as Marsha P. Johnson. Figures such as Johnson, have been so significant in an action of change in society to more accepting of one and another which is intertwined with the feminist movement. I want to produce some outcomes similar to Warhol and his pieces in, "Ladies and Gentlemen" and find repurposed images of leaders and or "martyrs" such as Johnson and many more that have been impactful in queer advocacy and activism globally, such as Sylvia Rivera, Moud Goba, and many more in attempt to reflect the progression of activism stemmed from powerful women in history and modern day.
