A biography for Marsha P. Johnsonhasn’t been written yet.
“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.”
“We just were saying no more police brutality. And we had enough of police harassment in the Village and other places.”
“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.”
“There are a lot of gay transvestites who have been in jail for no reason at all.”
“I was no one, nobody from Nowheresville, until I became a drag queen.”
“Gay sisters don't think too bad of transvestites. Gay brothers do.”
“They call me a legend in my own time, because there were so many queens gone that I'm one of the few queens left from the '70s and the '80s.”
“I got lost in the music in 1963 at Stonewall... No! No, it was Stonewall - it was 1967 that I got lost. In 19 - oh my dear, Stonewall, I got lost at Stonewall. Heard it through the grapevine. 1969! I got lost in the music and I couldn't get out.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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!”
“I think if transvestites don't stand up for themselves, nobody else is going to stand up for transvestites.”
“I may be crazy, but that don't make me wrong.”
“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?”
“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 any more.”
“In 1969, I started wearing female attire full-time.”
“Usually, I wear a short dress every day of the week.”
“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.”
“I never come out of drag to go anywhere. Everywhere I go I get all dressed up.”
“STAR is a very revolutionary group. We believe in picking up the gun, starting a revolution if necessary. Our main goal is to see gay people liberated and free and have equal rights that other people have in America.”