Marsha P. Johnson

Malcolm Michaels Jr., commonly known as Marsha P. Johnson, was a self-described drag queen and an American gay liberation activist. Johnson, a well-known and outspoken supporter of homosexual rights, was a key participant in the Stonewall rebellion in 1969. Johnson was always upfront about not being present when the riots started, despite the fact that some people have wrongly claimed that Johnson started the disturbances. Along with his close friend Sylvia Rivera, Johnson co-founded the radical activist organization Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.). Johnson was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front.

Performing onstage with the drag performance group Hot Peaches and posing for Andy Warhol made Johnson a well-known personality in New York City's homosexual and art communities. Due to his friendly demeanor on the streets of Greenwich Village, Johnson earned the nickname "mayor of Christopher Street". Johnson worked with ACT UP as an AIDS activist from 1987 until 1992. In 1992, Johnson's corpse was discovered floating in the Hudson River. The NYPD initially (and quickly) declared the case to be a suicide; however, controversy and outrage soon followed, prompting a reopening of the case as a potential homicide.

Detailed information:
Full name: Malcolm Michaels Jr.
Date of birth: 24 August 1945
Date of death: 6 July 1992
Known for:

• Gay liberation and AIDS activist, performer with the Hot Peaches and the Angels of Light