Google is honouring LGBTQ+ rights activist Marsha Johnson, who is widely credited as one of the pioneers of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States.
On June 30, 2019, Marsha P. Johnson was posthumously honored as a grand marshal of the New York City Pride March.
She was a performer and self-identified drag queen.
Furthermore, Marsha P. Johnson was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Her name is Malcolm Michaels Jr.
After graduating high school in 1963, she moved to New York City’s Greenwich Village, a burgeoning cultural hub for LGBTQ+ people.
There she legally changed her name to Marsha Johnson.
Additionally, her middle initial “P” allegedly stood for her response to those who questioned her gender: Pay It No Mind.
So, Marsha Johnson, who is a beloved and charismatic fixture in the LGBTQ+ community, is credited as one of the key leaders of the 1969 Stonewall uprising. It is widely regarding as a critical turning point for the international LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Furthermore, the following year, she founded the Street Transvestite (now Transgender) Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with fellow transgender activist Sylvia Rivera.
Anyhow, STAR was the first organization in the US to be led by a trans woman of color. In addition, it was the first to open North America’s first shelter for LGBTQ+ youth.
More ever, in 2019, New York City announced plans to erect statues of Johnson and Rivera in Greenwich Village. They will be one of the world’s first monuments in honor of transgender people.
Namely, the annual LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration takes place every year in the month of June.
So, during this month the LGBTQ+ community celebrates this fest in a number of different ways.
Moreover, across the globe, various events are during this special month. It serves as a way of recognising the influence LGBTQ+ people have had around the world.
Also, let us not forget why we choose June.
Simply speaking, the reason why it was chosen are exactly the Stonewall Riots, which took place in this month, way back in 1969.
Now, as well as being a month long celebration, Pride month is also an opportunity to peacefully protest and raise political awareness of current issues facing the community.
Therefore, parades are a prominent feature of Pride month, and there are many street parties, community events, public speaking and educational sessions.