“STAR is into two things very heavily. One is radical politics. And the second is prostitution.” At least that’s how one journalist in the 1970s described the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a group started by Marsha and fellow trans organizers. Life on the streets and with STAR meant freedom and friendship, but it could also be really tough. Marsha was candid about that. She wanted to build a better future for unhoused trans and gender nonconforming young people, and we’ll hear stories about what that looked like day to day, from parties and puppies to “liberating” food for the kids, as Marsha would put it. The STARs had big goals. But things came crashing down as quickly as they had started. As Marsha experienced life’s hardships, we’ll examine the toll it took on her mental health.

&ldquo;STAR is into two things very heavily. One is radical politics. And the second is prostitution.&rdquo; At least that&rsquo;s how one journalist in the 1970s described the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a group started by Marsha and fellow trans organizers.&nbsp;Life on the streets and with STAR meant freedom and friendship, but it could also be really tough. Marsha was candid about that. She wanted to build a better future for unhoused trans and gender nonconforming young people, and we&rsquo;ll hear stories about what that looked like day to day, from parties and puppies to &ldquo;liberating&rdquo; food for the kids, as Marsha would put it. The STARs had big goals. But things came crashing down as quickly as they had started. As Marsha experienced life&rsquo;s hardships, we&rsquo;ll examine the toll it took on her mental health.

Marsha P. Johnson is THE icon of the LGBTQ+ movement and one of the mothers of the fight for trans rights. Today, you can buy T-shirts emblazoned with her face or walk through a park named in her honor. This season on Afterlives, we hear from Marsha in her own words.

Afterlives is a documentary podcast series about trans lives we’ve lost and the ways their stories have reshaped our world. Host Raquel Willis brings Marsha’s story to life through rare archival interviews and intimate conversations with queer elders, friends, and historians.  Legend says she threw the first brick at the Stonewall riots, setting off the modern movement for queer rights. Immortalized by Warhol and known as “The Saint of Christopher Street,” Marsha was also unhoused, surviving through sex work, navigating violence, and resisting with joy.

More than 30 years after her still-unsolved death in the Hudson River, Marsha’s voice resounds louder than ever. As trans rights face renewed threats, Afterlives celebrates Marsha’s story and reflects on her enduring power as a trans ancestor.

Marsha P. Johnson is THE icon of the LGBTQ+ movement and one of the mothers of the fight for trans rights. Today, you can buy T-shirts emblazoned with her face or walk through a park named in her honor. This season on Afterlives, we hear from Marsha in her own words.
Afterlives is a documentary podcast series about trans lives we&rsquo;ve lost and the ways their stories have reshaped our world. Host Raquel Willis brings Marsha&rsquo;s story to life through rare archival interviews and intimate conversations with queer elders, friends, and historians.&nbsp; Legend says she threw the first brick at the Stonewall riots, setting off the modern movement for queer rights. Immortalized by Warhol and known as &ldquo;The Saint of Christopher Street,&rdquo; Marsha was also unhoused, surviving through sex work, navigating violence, and resisting with joy.
More than 30 years after her still-unsolved death in the Hudson River, Marsha&rsquo;s voice resounds louder than ever. As trans rights face renewed threats, Afterlives celebrates Marsha&rsquo;s story and reflects on her enduring power as a trans ancestor.