New York just gave Marsha P. Johnson a birthday gift: Her own memorial park

Site rendering of Marsha P. Johnson State Park provided by New York State.

Officials in New York City celebrated the birthday of LGBTQ activist Marsha P. Johnson this week by naming a city park in her honor. The distinction makes Johnson the first queer person and transgender woman of color honored by a park in state history.

NBC reports New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo personally dedicated the former East River State Park in Brooklyn as Marsha P. Johnson State Park on what would have been the activist’s 75th birthday. The state has also unveiled plans to restore facilities and install artwork dedicated to Johnson’s life, and to her contribution to queer history.

“Too often, the marginalized voices that have pushed progress forward in New York and across the country go unrecognized, making up just a fraction of our public memorials and monuments,” Governor Cuomo said in his dedication. “Marsha P. Johnson was one of the early leaders of the LGBTQ movement, and is only now getting the acknowledgment she deserves. Dedicating this state park for her, and installing public art telling her story, will ensure her memory and her work fighting for equality lives on.”

As part of the celebration, city officials have already…

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