Marsha P. Johnson State Park

Friends on the Fringes

Marsha P. Johnson was not alone in her efforts to achieve rights and create community for transgender people. While she was in touch with many leaders in NYC, many more were working for the cause all across the U.S.

Sylvia Rivera with The Empty Closet publication at Albany Gay Rights rally, 1971

Sylvia Rivera with The Empty Closet publication at Albany Gay Rights rally, 1971 Photo by Diana Davies, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library

Members of the Gay Liberation Front with Marsha and Sylvia, 1973

Members of the Gay Liberation Front with Marsha and Sylvia, 1973 Photo by Diana Davies, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library

Harlem Renaissance drag king, Gladys Bentley, 1920s

Harlem Renaissance drag king, Gladys Bentley, 1920s Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Marsha with The Hot Peaches performance troupe, 1990

Marsha with The Hot Peaches performance troupe, 1990 Photo by Shayla Baykal, Courtesy of the Hot Peaches Archive, New York University Special
Collections, Special thanks to Jimmy Camicia

Members of the Gay Activists Alliance, 1969-1974

Members of the Gay Activists Alliance, 1969-1974 Photo by Kay Tobin, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library

Kimberle Crenshaw, noted for coining the term, “intersectionality”

Kimberle Crenshaw, noted for coining the term, “intersectionality” Photo by Mohame Badarne, Special thanks to the African American Policy Forum

Civil Rights Era legal scholar, Pauli Murray

Civil Rights Era legal scholar, Pauli Murray Courtesy of the University of North Carolina Library

Anti-Violence Project leader, Victoria Cruz, 2017

Anti-Violence Project leader, Victoria Cruz, 2017 WPhoto by M. Stan Reaves, Alamy Live News