Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992)
Marsha P. Johnson was an activist, sex worker, drag performer, and a central figure in the 1969 Stonewall Inn riots. She is often credited with “throwing the first brick” during the raid, but the accuracies of that claim are disputed.
Johnson lived in a time when same-sex dancing in public was prohibited, the State Liquor Authority banned bars from serving gay people alcoholic beverages, and cross-dressing was considered “ sexual deviancy.”
