35 Marsha P Johnson Quotes from the Transgender Activist
Published April 2, 2023
These Marsha P Johnson quotes show the intensity of the care Marsha felt for activist work.
Marsha P Johnson is famously known for being a transgender activist and drag queen decades before society widely accepted this lifestyle.
Born on August 24, 1945, as Malcolm Michaels Jr., Marsha’s life was one full of obstacles and difficulties.
She worked to fight for gay rights during difficult times and was remembered by friends as always being willing to help other people in need who crossed her path.
Johnson was a trailblazer who fought tirelessly for the rights of marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and people living with HIV/AIDS.
One of Johnson’s most notable achievements was her role in the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, which is often considered a turning point in the fight for Gay rights.
She was also a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front, an activist group formed in the wake of the Stonewall Uprising.
Unfortunately, Johnson’s life was cut short when she was found dead in the Hudson River in 1992.
As you’ll see in these quotes, she wasn’t afraid to put herself out there for a message she was determined to spread.
Remember also to check out these LGBTQ quotes celebrating pride and love.
Check out our inspirational quotes category page for more inspirational life quotes.
Marsha P Johnson quotes on activism
1. “I don’t know what I am if I’m not a woman.” ― Marsha P Johnson
2. “I may be crazy, but that don’t make me wrong.” ― Marsha P Johnson
3. “In 1969, I started wearing female attire full-time.” ― Marsha P Johnson
4. “Usually, I wear a short dress every day of the week.” ― Marsha P Johnson
5. “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” ― Marsha P Johnson
6. “I’d been going to jail for like 10 years before the Stonewall.” ― Marsha P Johnson
7. “I might be loopy, however that doesn’t make me fallacious.” ― Marsha P Johnson
8. “I was no one, nobody from Nowheresville, until I became a drag queen.” ― Marsha P Johnson
9. “There are a lot of gay transvestites who have been in jail for no reason at all.” ― Marsha P Johnson
10. “You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.” ― Marsha P Johnson
Marsha P Johnson quotes about people
11. “I got robbed once. A man pulled a gun on me and snatched my pocketbook in a car. I don’t trust men that much anymore.” ― Marsha P Johnson
12. “A lot of times I’ve reached my hand out to people in the gay community that just didn’t have nobody to help them when they were down and out.” ― Marsha P Johnson
13. “How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? I mean how many years does it take people to see that? We’re all in this rat race together!” ― Marsha P Johnson
More Marsha P Johnson quotes
14. “Nobody promised you tomorrow.” ― Marsha P Johnson
15. “I always just do drag. I never do it seriously.” ― Marsha P Johnson
16. “I never come out of drag to go anywhere. Everywhere I go I get all dressed up.” ― Marsha P Johnson
17. “I know people think I’m a stupid little street queen out there begging for change cause there’s nothing else she knows how to do.” ― Marsha P Johnson
18. “I’ll always be known reaching out to young people who have no one to help them out, so I help them out with a place to stay or some food to eat or some change for their pocket.” ― Marsha P Johnson
19. “I’d like to see the gay revolution get started… If a transvestite doesn’t say I’m gay and I’m proud and I’m a transvestite, then nobody else is going to hop up there and say I’m gay and I’m proud and I’m a transvestite for them.” ― Marsha P Johnson
20. “I don’t think you should be ashamed of anybody that you know that has AIDS. You should stand as close to them as you can and help them out as much as you can. I’m a strong believer in that and that’s why I try to do that for everyone I know that has the virus.” ― Marsha P Johnson
Inspiring Marsha P Johnson quotes for the gay community
21. “Darling, I want my gay rights right now.” ― Marsha P Johnson
22. “I’m still stuck in the Stonewall in 1968. I never left the Stonewall.” ― Marsha P Johnson
23. “I started out with makeup in 1963 and 1964. In 1965, I was coming out more, and I was still wearing makeup but I was still going to jail just for wearing makeup.” ― Marsha P Johnson
24. “A drag queen is one that usually goes to a ball and that’s the only time she gets dressed up. Transvestites live in drag. A transsexual spends most of her life in drag.” ― Marsha P Johnson
25. “History isn’t something you look back at and say it was inevitable, it happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities.” ― Marsha P Johnson
Marsha P Johnson quotes about being gay
26. “Darling, I want my gay rights now!” ― Marsha P. Johnson
27. “Gay sisters don’t think too bad of transvestites. Gay brothers do.” ― Marsha P Johnson
28. “We have to be visible. We should not be ashamed of who we are.” ― Marsha P. Johnson
29. “We have to be visible. We should not be ashamed of who we are.” ― Marsha P Johnson
30. “As long as gay people don’t have their rights all across America, there’s no reason for celebration.” ― Marsha P. Johnson
31. “As long as my people don’t have their rights all across America, there’s no reason for celebration.” ― Marsha P Johnson
32. “I think if transvestites don’t stand up for themselves, nobody else is going to stand up for transvestites.” ― Marsha P Johnson
33. “We just were saying no more police brutality. And we had enough of police harassment in the Village and other places.” ― Marsha P Johnson
34. “We want to see all gay people have a chance at equal rights, as straight people in America. We believe in picking up a gun, and starting a revolutionary if necessary.” ― Marsha P Johnson
35. “Now they got two little nice statues in Chariot Park to remember the gay movement. How many people have died for these two little statues to be put in the park for them to recognize gay people?” ― Marsha P Johnson
What did you learn from these Marsha P Johnson quotes?
Marsha P Jones died in the ’90s.
Her death was immediately believed to be a suicide as she struggled with her mental health and seemed to be declining over the years.
However, a future investigation changed that ruling to “undetermined” as many friends believed that she was murdered.
While only living to be 46, the work that Marsha P Jones did has been documented and remembered as it was part of the steps taken forward to earn equality for gay and transgender individuals.
It’s apparent that her experiences and struggles took a toll on her and she worked to help others to not suffer as much as she did.
What’s your biggest takeaway from these Marsha P Johnson quotes and sayings?
Do you have any other favorite quotes to add?
Let us know in the comment section below.
