Please join for this double feature about Marsha P. Johnson.

Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender women who was an LGBTQ rights activist and an outspoken advocate for trans people of color. Johnson spearheaded the Stonewall uprising in 1969 and along with Sylvia Rivera, she later established the Street Transvestite (now Transgender) Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a group committed to helping homeless transgender youth in New York City. In 1992, her body was found in the Hudson River. Police ruled her death a suicide. but most people, including all of her friends, believe she was murdered.

Happy Birthday, Marsha! is a fictional short film that imagines transgender rights pioneers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in the hours leading to the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. The film stars Mya Taylor as Marsha P. Johnson. It was written, directed, and produced by Tourmaline and Sasha Wortzel.

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson  reexamines the death of a beloved icon of the trans world while celebrating the story of two landmark pioneers of the trans-rights movement, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Together, the radical duo fought arrests, condemned police brutality, organized street kids, battled the intolerant majority within the gay community, and helped spearhead the Stonewall Riots.

ArtRage has recently learned about the controversy surrounding these two films. We have decided to screen them both. You can read more about this in these two articles:Who Owns Marsha P. Johnson’s Story?    Inside the Fight for Marsha P. Johnson’s Legacy

Free and open to the public. Presented as part of ArtRage Gallery’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of Stonewall.