Remembering LGBTQIA+ Activist Marsha P. Johnson and the Stonewall Uprising of 1969

Marsha P. Johnson’s fearlessness is preserved within the LGBTQIA+ community, and her quotes remind us of the fight for equality that has helped bring our country to where it is today. Here are several quotes from the renowned advocate that are both relatable and inspiring!

“I may be crazy, but that don’t make me wrong.”

Pride is about being recognized and respected for who you are. Marsha P. Johnson was an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community until the day she died in 1992. She was a model, activist, and sex worker who wanted to help other queer folx. Johnson was comfortable with who she was and thrived to create a space for other transwomen to feel the same. She not only wanted to build a space for the trans community but for queer people and people of color as well.

“As long as my people don’t have their rights across America, there is no reason to celebrate.”

Throughout her time advocating for her community, she was able to build the first safe house for people of color who were transgender and homeless youth. The program was called Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, also known as STAR. Johnson spoke up for sex workers, prisoners, and people with HIV/AIDs. Johnson wanted what every woman wanted during this time: to be heard and seen. 

“I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen.”

On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Riot was as a major turning point in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights. The Stonewall Inn was a gay club in Greenwich that was raided by police, which caused the uprising. Johnson became the face of the Stonewall Riots, to the point where people believed she was the one who initially started it. In an interview, she stated that she didn’t throw the shot glass that was “heard around the world.”

“I was uptown, and I didn’t get downtown until about two o’clock,” Johnson explained to historian Eric Marcus in 1987. “When I got downtown, the place was already on fire, and there was a raid already.”

From then on, the Stonewall Riot became part of history, creating a turning point for the LGBTQIA+ community. Many initiatives and gay rights organizations sprouted after the riots, including the Gay Liberation Front, Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD (which was also known as Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), and PFLAG(Parents Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).

Here are a few more quotes you should know from the queer legend:

“How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race?”

“Darling, I want my gay rights now!”

“You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.”

“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 revolutionary if necessary.”

“Nobody promised you tomorrow.”

Marsha P. Johnson was an American legend, and her resilience, bravery, and confidence made her memorable. She was and still is the voice of the queer community, and she will be forever loved and admired for her contribution to LGBTQIA+ rights. 

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