In the Summer of 1992, the scorching temperatures in Manhattan were of little concern to Marsha P. Johnson. Her days didn’t truly start until long after the sun had gone down. Fresh from the Pride Parade, Marsha made plans the evening of July 4th, 1992 to meet her friend Miss Kitty at The Anvil, one of the many gay bars lining Christopher Street in Greenwich Village. They were supposed to rendezvous at midnight. Only …Marsha never showed. Two days later, on July 6th, a passerby spotted something floating just off the Hudson River Pier shortly after sunrise. It was Marsha. The LGBTQ rights activist was dead at 46. Given Marsha’s notoriety as an outspoken supporter of gay and trans rights, friends immediately suspected foul play. The NYPD and medical examiner saw things differently, quickly declaring Marsha’s death a suicide by drowning. Those who knew the transgender pioneer well dismissed the notion that Johnson took her own life. Her history of substance abuse and depression notwithstanding, Marsha had never given any indication she was suicidal. Over 30 years have passed and still, Marsha P. Johnson’s death remains shrouded in mystery. 

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Research and writing by: K. Brant

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