Bri Giger on Marsha P. Johnson

Credits

Director: Sabine Sighicelli
Editor: Farrel Levy
Producer: Kim Ray
Talent Producer: Karla Legaspy
Cinematographer: Sevdije Kastrati
Sound: Nancy Kwon
Second Camera: Andressa Cor,
DIT: Antonetta Kastrati
PA: Im-Sun Song
Post Supervisor: Courtney Graham
Color: Sevdije Kastrati
Sound Mix: Daniel Raphael

Topics

Activism

“SHE said the "P" stands for "Pay it No Mind".”

Marsha P. Johnson paved the way for us to celebrate Pride today. As a Black trans woman from a conservative background, Marsha fled to New York City to find liberation. There, she discovered a community that embraced her. Marsha fearlessly fought for the rights of queer people during a time when trans women encountered repression, arrests, and, tragically, even death. Despite the police ruling her passing as a suicide, the community vehemently rejected this verdict, firmly believing that Marsha would never have taken her own life. During this Pride celebration, actress and activist Bri Giger celebrates and honors her favorite trailblazer.

Our storytellers share these astonishing women with us conversationally and unscripted; we fact-check afterwards and note any major discrepancies for accuracy.

Storyteller

Bri Giger

Bri Giger is a comedian, actress and activist who performs at The Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, IO West, Beverly Hills Playhouse. She has TV credits from Hulu, AdultSwim, Book of Queer 2022, & the CBS Diversity Showcase. In 2012 Bri became a University of Arizona Theatre Arts graduate. Following graduation Bri has performed at UCB Maude team, UCB Characters team comedy Sportz (Los Angeles), IO West (Main stage.), (Second City) The Revolution Will not be Televised. Currently continuing to perform stand up, (Comedy Store), (Hollywood Improv) ETC. Bri is also Currently staring in an upcoming, Comedy Television show. Finishing up the year doing her One Woman show: Through my Red Eyes. Currently, November 2015 Bri is finishing up performing in San Deigo, CA Diversionary Theatre 2-women show titled “Bright Half-Life.” Bri was named, “Los Angeles Funniest Women of 2018.” You can find her on socials: @brigiger

Featured Woman

Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson, born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, grew up in the Mount Teman African Methodist Episcopal Church with her six siblings. After graduating from Edison High School in 1963, she moved to New York City. Working as a waitress in Greenwich Village, she connected with sex workers at Howard Johnson hotels (also the inspiration behind her moniker). Embracing her identity as a drag queen, Marsha became one of the first to frequent the Stonewall Inn after it began welcoming women and drag queens. The iconic Stonewall uprising occurred in the early hours of June 28, 1969. Marsha subsequently joined the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and actively participated in the GLF Drag Queen Caucus. On June 28, 1970, she marched in the inaugural Gay Pride rally to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion. In August 1970, she and fellow GLF members staged a sit-in protest at New York University’s Weinstein Hall. Marsha co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) organization with Sylvia Rivera. They became influential figures in gay liberation marches and radical political actions. In 1992, after the Gay Pride parade, Marsha’s body was found in the Hudson River under suspicious circumstances. Despite initial police ruling of suicide, her friends and community disputed this, citing a severe head wound and an increase in anti-LGBT violence. In honor of Marsha’s 75th birth anniversary on August 24, 2020, the Marsha P. Johnson State Park was named, making it the first New York state park dedicated to an openly LGBT individual.