Marsha P. Johnson
Images of an Icon
The Faulkner Morgan Archive is excited to unveil these newly acquired, never-before-seen photographs of queer legend Marsha P. Johnson from the estate of renowned Kentucky-born photographer Leee Black Childers.
Marsha P. Johnson at the NYC Pride March. July 1982, from the estate of Leee Black Childers.
Marsha P. Johnson. July 1984, from the estate of Leee Black Childers. Collection of Faulkner Morgan Archive.
Marsha P. Johnson is one of the most well known figures in LGTBQ history. The “P” in Johnson’s name stood for “pay it no mind,” which often acted as her motto. She especially gained much of her notoriety after the Stonewall Riots of 1969, but her activism did not stop there. Throughout her life, Johnson was a fixture of the New York City queer scene. She was constantly helping her community, especially trans homeless youth.
In 1970, Johnson and her close friend Sylvia Rivera founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). Through this organization, they worked to support, and house, LGTBQ people who were often living on the streets and dependent on sex work.
On July 6, 1992, Johnson’s body was found floating in the Hudson River near the West Side Piers that she frequented. While the police declared her death a suicide, many see her death as another moment of violence against the LGBTQ community. Now, even decades after Johnson’s devastating death, her legacy continues to impact queer communities. In our work, we desire to follow her light, her passion, and her drive to help those around her.
These photos of Marsha P. Johnson were found in Childers’ estate, located in folders labeled “drag queens.” While some were possibly taken by his assistant, these images of Johnson are never-before-seen snapshots of a LGTBQ icon. We can see, in these images, central landmarks of NYC’s queer landscape such as Christopher street (as seen on some trash cans) as well as Manhattan’s West Side Piers (where Johnson is smoking a cigarette).
Marsha P. Johnson at 159 Christopher Street. November 1979, from the estate of Leee Black Childers. Collection of Faulkner Morgan Archive.
Marsha P. Johnson on the West Side Piers in Manhattan. Date unknown, from the estate of Leee Black Childers. Collection of Faulkner Morgan Archive.
Born in 1945 in Jefferson County, KY, Leee Black Childers attended Kentucky Southern College before moving first to San Francisco, and then to New York City in 1967. Known for his photographs of drag queens, punk stars, and other celebrities, Childers quickly began to make a name for himself in the big city. After meeting Andy Warhol during his time in NYC, he joined “The Factory” and later became the stage manager and official photographer for Warhol’s Pork in 1971.
Leee Black Childers and Jayne County, circa 1988. Image from Jayne County’s INSTAGRAM account.
Childers even lived, at one point, with Jayne County, another queer southerner who ended up right in the heart of the New York City queer punk scene. County even had a RECENT EXHIBITION OF HER WORK here in Lexington at Institute 193.
Childers photographed many well-known personalities such as Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Divine, Patti Smith, and fellow photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. By the time of his death in 2014, Childers was a household name in this counterculture world of punk music and drag queens. Thus, it is no surprise that he would cross paths with Marsha P. Johnson.
The life of Leee Black Childers and these photos of Marsha P. Johnson illustrate just one of many connections between Kentucky’s queer community and urban centers. We are grateful to have these photographs in our collection and to be able and tell the stories of LGBTQ Kentuckians like Childers and queer trailblazers like Johnson.
These images were on display at CROSSINGS LEXINGTON from October 16 to November 30, 2022, and then at the LUCILLE LITTLE FINE ARTS LIBRARY at the University of Kentucky until May 2023.
