Voting Station

Marsha P. Johnson

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Advocate

The Resume

    (August 24, 1945-July 6, 1992)
    Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey
    Birth name was Malcolm Michaels, Jr.
    Transgender rights activist
    Participated in the Stonewall uprising (1969)
    Cofounder of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR, 1970)
    Nicknamed 'the mayor of Christopher Street' (a street in Greenwich Village)
    AIDS activist and member of ACT-UP (1987-92)
    Body found in the Hudson River
    Death initially ruled a suicide
    After the case was reopened and investigated further, the cause of death was changed to 'undetermined' (2002)

Why she might be annoying:

    As Malcolm, he was described as 'a very nasty, vicious man, looking for fights.'
    She supported herself as a prostitute.
    When busted for prostitution, she would hit the arresting officer with her handbag, which usually contained a brick.
    Her volatile personality got her banned from a string of gay bars.
    She was often erroneously credited with instigating the Stonewall uprising. (She always told reporters that she arrived at the Stonewall Inn after the rioting had started.)
    She suffered mental breakdowns that would result in her being hospitalized in Bellevue for a few months and then released with a prescription for antipsychotic drugs.

Why she might not be annoying:

    As a youth, he was raped by a thirteen-year-old boy.
    The P in her name stood for 'pay it no mind,' her usual response to questions about gender.
    When she and Sylvia Rivera, her frequent partner in drag and political activism, were banned from the Gay Pride Parade because organizers felt their flamboyance gave the gay rights movement 'a bad name,' they defiantly marched in front of the parade (1973).
    During a later gay rights parade, she memorably told an interviewer, 'Darling, I want my gay rights now. I think it’s about time the gay brothers and sisters got their rights.'
    She was photographed by Andy Warhol (1975).
    Several witnesses reported seeing her harassed by 'thugs' shortly before her death.
    She was one of the initial group of 50 'pioneers, trailblazers and heroes' on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor at the Stonewall National Monument (2019).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 154 Votes: 62.34% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 22 Votes: 68.18% Annoying