It seems every day, our queer rights are being called into question more and more, and not just on a government level, but on a social level. Just look at the comments on any public Pride post and you’ll see what we mean. What we had just feared from the current presidential administration is now coming to fruition, and the queer community is being forced to retreat decades back.
How did the LGBTQ community ever get out of such a dark place? How did we end up losing our power? And more importantly, what can we do about it? It is time to reflect and become educated about our queer revolution, and those who fought against the odds to defy remaining silent, without rights. Though many of us may have a general idea of how Pride started with tales of the Stonewall riots, do we really understand the power of what happened on June 28, 1969? One such figurehead from that era is Marsha P. Johnson. While stories may differ as to her part in the night’s proceedings, it is clear that her activism wasn’t regulated to that one night and that the legacy that she continued to build until her death has become part of the foundation of our revolution, not just for trans folk, but for all letters of LGBTQIA.
It is timely that author Tourmaline, a Black trans activist and luminary, has penned the first full scope biography of Marsha, titled Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson, that fleshes out this remarkable activist from the iconic, flower-crowned image that often remains part of any Pride celebration to a complex human being, as told from Marsha’s own words and Tourmaline’s exhaustive research.
It is more than fitting that such a feat be handled by Tourmaline, who, if you believe in reincarnation, embodies more than enough elements of Marsha’s outspoken support, education, and activism in the queer world. Tourmaline was born into a family of activists; her mother was a union organizer, and her father is an anti-imprisonment advocate. It seemed her destiny in the social and political arena was destined.
I grew up in Roxbury, a historically Black neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, and my parents spent days, nights, and weekends organizing their communities to make the world a better place. So, I had that example from a very young age, and a passion for justice and fairness was a big part of my upbringing. When I was a teenager, I wanted to expand the way that history was taught at my high school, where I was one of very few Black students. I ended up creating and implementing the first Black History curriculum. Seeing and feeling the impact of that change really hooked me on organizing.
Tourmaline would attend Columbia University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Ethnic Studies. At the young age of 41, she has been involved in an extensive list of organizations, campaigns, and movements that have dealt with economic justice, prison abolition, and queer activism. Her work has included visual art, films, podcasts, and writing to catalog and spotlight the drag and trans community involved with and responsible for the Stonewall movement. Tourmaline’s exposure to Marsha’s story developed as Tourmaline was finding her identity in queer New York City.
I moved to New York City for college, and as I was exploring the city, I found Christopher Street, which has been a vital hub for the queer and trans community for decades. Marsha’s legacy was so strong in those spaces, and she quickly became an icon for me of the power inherent in living unapologetically as your most authentic self.
Tourmaline has enjoyed a long relationship with Marsha’s story. In addition to her new, definitive biography Marsha, she co-produced Happy Birthday, Marsha!, a short film that recounts the moments leading up to the Stonewall Riots, and STAR People Are Beautiful People, a documentary-narrative feature diving into the formation of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an activist organization founded in 1970 by Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. This time period and subject matter are a big part of Tourmaline’s life. What about Marsha’s life that continues to inspire her?
Beyond her commitment to living authentically as her most vibrant self, Marsha had an incredible talent for dreaming big and dreaming far beyond her current circumstances. This was someone who had a successful international tour as a performance artist, inspired art-world figures like Andy Warhol and Earth, Wind, and Fire, and created a collective to provide affordable housing to her fellow street queens. Marsha never allowed the harshness of the circumstances around her to interfere with her ability to envision and create a world more filled with ease, joy, and connection.
The biography is a great wealth of quotes and stories from people who were around Marsha, and from Marsha herself. The amount of research that has been compiled to rebuild Marsha’s life and what was going on in the era is dizzying and complex, and always inspiring, if not many times shocking. What was Tourmaline’s creative process in beginning this huge task?
This biography was such a long time coming. I first began learning about Marsha through archival research, including the fully private records and documents of her dearest friends and beloved community, starting almost two decades ago. My process for the book was absolutely non-linear. I started by really channeling her by immersing myself in videos, interviews, letters, and stories. Eventually, and with help from my editor, I was able to compile her story into a biography which twines together her story with bigger reflections on the role of history, collective memory, disability justice, and more. But none of it would have been possible without the people who were so generous in sharing Marsha’s story with me.
Again, many comparisons between Tourmaline’s activism and Marsha’s legacy are many. In the present time, we have more words and a better understanding of trans culture and history. As a queer, trans Black woman, what was she able to infuse in Marsha’s story?
I think Marsha and I share some values in common, so I’m not sure whether it was infusion, or amplification. But I loved the opportunity to amplify Marsha’s commitment to looking beyond and through current circumstances to a more beautiful world. That’s been a huge part of my artistic practice, including self-portraiture and film, so it felt like a really natural fit.
Especially when I was younger, I was so hungry to see people who were truly in touch with their most alive, joyful, vibrant self. Marsha and her legacy were such a powerful example of that and a real lighthouse for what life can be like when you choose to embrace every aspect of yourself and show up with joy and beauty regardless of the wider world’s expectations.
The book also dives into rumors and myths that surround Marsha’s story. Did she or didn’t make the first move during the Stonewall riots? In reading the book, the facts speak for themselves. It would be a shame to reduce Marsha’s entire legacy to a single action. This is something Tourmaline addresses. To be honest, we weren’t aware of the many ways Marsha lived as an activist, publicly and among her friends who became family. It was a continued rally, started by Marsha in her own life early on, many times giving up safety for her beliefs. Especially for our younger generations, it is imperative that we know Marsha’s full story. Tourmaline elaborates:
Marsha played an important role at Stonewall, but sometimes people don’t know about the other aspects of her life and work– her creativity, her love of travel and rest, the deep care-taking work she offered to her community from her earliest days in NYC through the heart of the AIDS crisis. I wanted the story of her to be as big as her life was– not defined by a single moment alone.
Marsha had an ability to tune out what did not serve her, and with the support of friends and her beloved community, she tuned into bigger dreams and deeper truths – dreams of authenticity, ease, joy, and abundance. Those skills weren’t accessible to her because she had a perfect, easy life, free of care or fear. They were accessible to her because she returned her energy and focused to them over and over again, despite the harsh circumstances she was facing. I think we can learn so much from her about that discipline of dreaming big – freedom dreaming.
Tourmaline did not shy away from all aspects of Marsha’s life. Marsha is presented as a beautiful soul, bumps, bruises, and all. Marsha’s life in sex work was rough. Her relationship with her mother was not always easy. Her relationship with mental health was complex. Her constant struggle to fight for equal rights overshadowed her personal comfort. Her death was far from glamorous. This book does not glorify Marsha into a superhero, although by most standards she was one, but presents a woman with strength and resilience in the face of impossible odds. Not just for herself, but for generations of queer people that would come after that she would never meet. It was important for Tourmaline to include all of the details about Marsha’s life in the book.
Marsha was deeply affected but not defined by the harsh realities she experienced. Her whole story is evidence that we can dream beyond circumstances that are violent, oppressive, or harsh– and we can actualize those dreams, too, just like Marsha did.
What is Tourmaline’s take as we appear to be going back to some of the government’s beliefs and practices towards the queer community, especially after all of the efforts by people like Marsha?
I think the backlash to joy and freedom that we’re seeing in our current political climate is a consequence of fear, misunderstanding, and a desire to reign in the amazing power that people have access to when they are able to live authentically and truthfully. Dreaming big and living authentically are very threatening to the authorities, so now is a moment to keep putting momentum in that direction.
A shocking and extremely important part of the book is how the trans community was treated by the rest of the gay community. It isn’t pretty. At the time, trans identity wasn’t understood nor celebrated by the rest of the queer community. Trans folks, who were then seen as transvestites or people in drag, were often disallowed at gay bars and even ostracized from activist organizations. The divide between the trans and gay communities was, unfortunately, very clear. The trans community were unwelcome family at the queer table. Has the gay community evolved? Do we truly consider trans rights as queer rights? Learning from Marsha’s life and from her own experiences, how does Tourmaline thing the gay community can best support our trans family?
We know that liberation is a collective endeavor. There’s no such thing as liberation for one group while another group is enduring oppression. Collective liberation is going to require us to lean into the beauty we find in each other – the beauty of our authentic selves, which is so much deeper than a single identity category. Encouraging each other to embrace ourselves fully and authentically is part of the work of being in the community.
Even in the wake of political oppression, Tourmaline has been enjoying the media circuit with an exhausting schedule of appearances promoting the book. She has been able to talk about the book and Marsha’s life in political and activist circles, but even in the pop culture world, she is able to share with a younger generation who may now see the need to get politically involved. We certainly enjoyed her lively appearance on Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers’ Las Culturistas podcast. Tourmaline is elated at the surge in interest in Marsha’s life. It also helps that Tourmaline, herself, is inspiring and activating. A good pair.
It feels like a real testament to Marsha’s power, to be honest. She was an icon in her time, and the fact that her beauty and brilliance transcend her death is not surprising. Marsha was a big believer in reincarnation, so getting to be a part of her “life after life” feels like such a tremendous honor.
Tourmaline has an optimistic outlook on the queer community, despite our current climate. What does queer representation in the future look like, in her opinion?
Bigger, more joyful, and truer, all the time. Watching people tap into their authentic selves is such a joy, and when people do that, our collective capacity for joy, love, and connection grows.
And her message to the community this Pride season?
This Pride season we’re dreaming bigger than ever. Succumbing to despair and dread can feel tempting in such a frightening political moment, but Marsha is here to remind us that we have everything we need to build beauty, ease, and connection right now – it’s not a task that can wait.
Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Jordan is available at all major book sellers.
Last modified: June 10, 2025
