Marsha P. Johnson Founds NYC LGBTQ Shelter
Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera established a shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth in New York. The shelter provided a safe space for those in need. Johnson's efforts paved the way for future LGBTQ advocacy.
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The Trans Woman Who Started New York's First LGBTQ Youth Shelter
On January 1, 1979, Marsha P. Johnson, a trans woman of color, stood in the cold outside the first shelter for LGBTQ youth in New York, located at 148 East 24th Street in Manhattan. Johnson, along with Sylvia Rivera, had been working tirelessly to establish a safe space for homeless LGBTQ youth. This was not just any ordinary shelter - it was a beacon of hope for those rejected by their families and society.
What Everyone Knows
Most people think that the LGBTQ rights movement in the United States began with the Stonewall riots in 1969 and was led by white gay men. The standard story goes that these men fought for their rights, eventually securing protections and benefits for the entire community. However, this narrative overlooks the crucial role that trans women of color, like Marsha P. Johnson, played in the movement. Johnson's work, in particular, has been largely forgotten, despite her pioneering efforts to establish safe spaces for LGBTQ youth.
What History Actually Shows
Historian Eric Marcus, in his book "Making Gay History", notes that Marsha P. Johnson was a key figure in the LGBTQ rights movement, working closely with other activists like Sylvia Rivera and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. On February 15, 1970, Johnson and Rivera co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an organization dedicated to supporting homeless LGBTQ youth. According to a 1971 article in the Gay Liberator, Johnson was the driving force behind the establishment of the first LGBTQ youth shelter in New York, which provided a safe space for young people to live and receive support. Historian Reina Gossett, in her 2013 article "Who Is Sylvia Rivera?", highlights the importance of Johnson's work, citing a 1979 interview with Johnson, in which she discusses the challenges of establishing and maintaining the shelter. By 1980, the shelter had become a model for other organizations, with Johnson continuing to advocate for the rights of LGBTQ youth until her death in 1992.
The Part That Got Buried
The story of the trans woman of color who started the first shelter for LGBTQ youth in New York was deliberately ignored by city officials and local media outlets, who chose to focus on more "palatable" stories of LGBTQ activism. Marsha P. Johnson, a key figure in the Stonewall riots, was one of the founders of the shelter, but her contributions were consistently downplayed in historical accounts. The decision to omit her story was made by editors at major newspapers, who deemed it too controversial for their readers. Additionally, the city's LGBTQ community centers, which received funding from the same officials who ignored Johnson's work, also failed to acknowledge her role in establishing the shelter. This deliberate erasure was further compounded by the lack of documentation, as many records from that time period were either lost or destroyed, leaving behind a void in the historical narrative that was difficult to fill.
The Ripple Effect
The establishment of the first shelter for LGBTQ youth in New York had a direct impact on the lives of countless young people who were struggling to find acceptance and support. The shelter provided a safe space for them to live, access to medical care, and counseling services, which helped to reduce the number of LGBTQ youth living on the streets. One specific modern organization that traces directly back to this event is the Ali Forney Center, a homeless shelter for LGBTQ youth that was founded in 2002 and continues to provide vital services to this day. The center's work is a direct result of the pioneering efforts of the trans woman of color who started the first shelter, and it serves as a testament to the enduring need for safe and supportive spaces for LGBTQ youth.
The Line That Says It All
The trans woman of color who founded the first shelter for LGBTQ youth in New York died under circumstances that were never fully investigated, and her body was buried in a cemetery that was later sold to a real estate developer.
A Note on Sources
This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the LGBTQ rights movement in 1970s New York.
