Marsha P. Johnson was a self identified drag queen, who was a major part of advocating for homeless gay youth who may have been affected by HIV or AIDS in the 1960s-1970s. She worked closely with her friend and fellow transgender activist, Sylvia Rivera, to create STAR. A foundation created to help people in the LGBTQ+ community. STAR stood for Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries and was a place for young transgender youth to stay if they were shunned out by their families. This led to the creation of the STAR House, a building made to host and help homeless transgender youth. In 1980, she was invited to ride in the lead car of the Gay Pride Parade in New York City. She now has a monument named “She Built NYC” after her and it is the first monument in New York City to represent transgender women.
