Marsha P. Johnson & the Rise of Transgender Murders

On October 6th, Netflix released a documentary called “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.” The film follows Victoria Cruz, an LGBT rights activist, who is determined to bring light to the mystery surrounding the death of LGBT activist and transgender icon, Marsha P. Johnson.
Marsha P. Johnson was a New York-based drag queen and transgender woman who was one of the leaders of the Stonewall Riots that took place at the Stonewall Inn in June of 1969. In addition to this, Johnson also founded S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries), which helped provide resources for homeless transgender individuals living on the streets of New York City. She was widely loved and admired by members of the LGBT movement in the 1960’s through her death in 1992, which caused an uproar, due to the fact many pieces of evidence lead people to believe she was murdered, although law enforcement officials claimed her death a suicide and closed the case.
Marsha P. Johnson’s mysterious death was neither the first or last act of violence towards transgender individuals. This is not an issue that was left behind when Johnson died. 2016 was the deadliest year on record for transgender individuals. In 2015, 21 transgender people were killed in acts of hate crimes. In 2016, 27 transgender people were killed in acts of hate crimes. So far in 2017, 23 transgender murders have been reported. Most victims are transgender people of color, like Marsha P. Johnson.
Documentaries like this are important not only to tell LGBT history but also to raise awareness towards the murders that are still occurring today.

I encourage you to check out the documentary on Netflix for yourself and work towards making a positive change in the LGBT community to protect our transgender brothers and sisters.

Comments

  1. Rebecca LewisOctober 25, 2017 at 10:12 AM

    I'm all about watching documentary, and i will definitely check this one out!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownNovember 2, 2017 at 2:33 PM

    This is heartbreaking information that society should definitely be made aware of. Targeting a group of people because you don't agree with their life isn't going to solve anything, and will just bring more hate and devastation. Sounds like an interesting documentary to learn more about.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownNovember 20, 2017 at 8:37 AM

    This sounds like pretty good documentary, definitely interested in watching it.

    ReplyDelete

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