Marsha
The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson
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- 21,99 €
Publisher Description
The first definitive biography of revolutionary activist Marsha P. Johnson—an iconic and trailblazing figure in LGBTQIA+ history—unveiling her life, profound impact, and enduring legacy.
“Thank God the revolution has begun, honey.”
Legend has it that after Marsha P. Johnson threw the first brick in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, she picked up a shard of broken mirror to fix her makeup.
This fearless moment embodies both the beauty and violence of the early LGBTQ+ rights movement—and the fabulous, tenacious charisma of Marsha herself.
Yet despite the fact that Marsha’s work as a gay liberation activist and drag queen helped spark the progress and continued protest we see today, there has been no definitive record of her life, loves, and lessons. Until now.
Written with verve and sparkling prose, Black trans leader Tourmaline brings this iconic, scandalous, vital justice warrior to life in full colour for the first time. Through nearly two decades of research and unprecedented access, Tourmaline has become Marsha’s leading archivist and handles her life and story with care, attention and a perfect dose of humour.
This book will take readers into Marsha’s childhood in New Jersey in the 1950s, to her dramatic and essential activism from the Stonewall Riots to the AIDS crisis, to her life creating radical art from the humblest means.
Marsha wasn’t just an activist—she was an artist and a performer, a lover and a mentor, a mischievous and transgressive queen. Her larger-than-life presence leaps out of every page. Adorned with her signature flower crown, she was a street fashion icon. She performed with RuPaul and with the internationally renowned drag performance troupe The Hot Peaches. She was muse to countless artists from Andy Warhol to the band Earth, Wind, and Fire. And she continues to inspire countless artists and activists today.
Marsha didn’t wait to be freed; she declared herself free and told the world to catch up. MARSHA honours the fullness of her life and will give this remarkable figure her rightful place in history. Her story promises to inspire readers to live as their most liberated, unruly, vibrant, and whole selves.
About the author
Tourmaline is an award-winning artist, filmmaker, writer, and activist whose work is dedicated to Black trans liberation. She is a TIME 100 Most Influential Person in the World awardee and her work has been featured in ABC News, the NYTimes, and Vogue. She created the critically acclaimed film Happy Birthday, Marsha!, has exhibited her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is the winner of Art Basel’s biggest prize. She has directed Pride campaigns for Dove, Marc Jacobs, and Reebok. She has worked as an advocate for trans rights with Queers for Economic Justice and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. She is a graduate of Columbia University and lives in Miami, Florida.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Artist and filmmaker Tourmaline debuts with an illuminating biography of Marsha P. Johnson, a central force in the Stonewall uprising and nascent LGBTQ+ rights movement. Tourmaline recreates Johnson's lesser-known early years, from her childhood in racially segregated Elizabeth, N.J., with a "revered" mother who still wouldn't let her "wear girls' clothes" to her youth spent hustling in Times Square, "where trans people came to survive and thrive together." Tourmaline depicts the 1969 police raid on the Stonewall Inn with cinematic intensity, portraying Johnson as akin to "a woman fighting the British in the Revolutionary War." The uprising galvanized Johnson's activism, leading to her participation in other protests, her caregiving for those with AIDS, and her cofounding of STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries). The book masters the complex balance of "joy alternating with... profound sadness" inherent in Johnson's life, which, despite the defiant resilience of her own statements ("I'm like a cat... I've been almost killed a million times now"), was rife with struggles with housing, medical care, disability, loss, and violence. Her still-unresolved death—Johnson was found in the Hudson River in July 1992 and her death was quickly ruled a suicide—was "emblematic of the way... trans lives have been seen as disposable by the state," Tourmaline sharply observes. It's a poignant portrait of a figure whose "greater sense of freedom" still inspires.
