The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

UofL Pride Week featuring Strange Fruit

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Directed by David France

Wednesday, November 1, 3 pm

Free—First come, first served

“An urgent must-see.” —Brent McKnight, Seattle Times

When the beloved, self-described “street queen” of NY’s Christopher Street was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992, the NYPD called Marsha P. Johnson’s death a suicide. Protests erupted but the police remained impassive and refused to investigate. Now, twenty-five years on, Oscar nominated director and journalist David France (How to Survive a Plague) examines Marsha’s death—and her extraordinary life—in his new film.

Marsha arrived in the Village in the 1960s where she teamed up with Sylvia Rivera when both claimed their identities as “drag queens,” to use the vernacular of the times. 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.

In 1970, they formed the world’s first trans-rights organization, STAR (Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries). Despite their many challenges over the years—bias, homelessness, and illness—Marsha and Sylvia ignited a powerful and lasting civil rights movement for gender nonconforming people. 2017, U.S., video, 105 minutes.

Post-screening discussion with Dr. Kaila Story and Jaison Gardner of the WFPL program Strange Fruit.