Photo: The building that would become STAR House, in a c. 1939 tax photo from the Municipal Archives. The building itself was unfortunately demolished by the 1980s and the lot remained vacant until a new residential building was constructed, but we were able to track down the above c. So we lived there by candlelight, a floating bunch of 15 to 25 queens, cramped in those rooms with all our wardrobe. It was only four rooms, and the landlord had turned the electricity off. Rivera reflected on the space in a 1979 interview, “We had a STAR House–a place for all of us to sleep. This was STAR’s first (and it appears only) permanent home, providing refuge for homeless transgender youth from about November 1970 to July 1971. Together, they established STAR House in a tenement at 213 East 2nd Street, in the East Village. Read more about the waterfront’s LGBT history.Ī number of LGBT rights organizations formed in the wake of Stonewall, including the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), founded by Johnson and Rivera in 1970. A pink triangle was installed near the site of where her body was found in the early 1990s, as part of an initiative by RepoHistory to document important queer spaces in NYC. The documentary follows Victoria Cruz, a friend of Johnson’s, as she tries to uncover the mystery behind Johnson’s death, which had been labeled a suicide (something those close to her never believed). Her body was recovered and temporarily placed a half-block south of the Christopher Street Pier until transported to the morgue. On July 6, 1992, Johnson’s body was tragically (and mysteriously) found floating in the Hudson River near the piers. While already well-established as a gay cruising area from at least World War I, the pier also became closely associated with Johnson and Sylvia Rivera - both provided much-needed shelter, clothing, and support for homeless queer youth who lived and congregated on the piers. Johnson documentary, illustrating their importance to her legacy. The pier and the Greenwich Village waterfront are shown throughout the Marsha P. Pink triangle “Queer Spaces” signs were placed by RepoHistory at several NYC locations in the early 1990s to highlight sites of LGBT significance. Special thanks to project advisor Eric Marcus and his team at Making Gay History for providing us with these invaluable oral history interviews. Visit our Stonewall Inn website entry (scroll down to “Related Media”) and listen as Marsha and Sylvia share their stories. While Marsha herself admits that she did not show up at Stonewall until 2 am the first night, and therefore a few hours after the uprising began, she and other trans women of color, including Sylvia Rivera, were key participants who continued to play a crucial role in the fight for LGBT equality and transgender rights in the years to follow. Johnson, and her involvement during and after the 1969 uprising, has received more and more (much deserved) attention in recent years. A number of New York City locations and historic sites included in the film (rounded up below) stood out to us.Īrticle about the Stonewall uprising in the Sunday News, July 6, 1969. Johnson and fellow activist, Sylvia Rivera, as early and critical advocates for trans rights (thanks to the LGBT Community Center for hosting this special event). We were fortunate to attend an advance screening of this moving film, which enforces the importance of Marsha P. Johnson, a new documentary by David France, had its global premiere on Netflix today (tip to NYC locals: the film is also showing at the IFC Center).
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