Pay It No Mind - The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson

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• published: 16 Oct 2012
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Pay It No Mind - The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson - Thanks to the wisdom of Tony Nunziata, Jimmy Camicia, Richard Morrison, and Larry Mitchell who helped make this documentary possible. Special thanks to Antony and the Johnsons. Their music and generosity shines, and transcends. Buy their music; it will love you in return. Love to all the contributors in this film. -- Marsha, what a trip. She was something else. I vividly remember seeing her back in the 70's & 80's on Christopher Street. Kids would point at her in awe with bulging bug-eyes saying, "See that crazy drag queen over there?" I would respond, "Well honey, she started the Stonewall riots." The listener's mouth without fail would drop agape, because she was truly a sight to see. Then, after that, all the up and coming queens whenever we saw her would pause & genuflect as she made her way along the cobblestone streets of Greenwich Village. She is an undisputed icon. She's the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and the Sphinx all rolled up into one divine ball. ---- Jack Walls This feature-length documentary focuses on revolutionary trans-activist, Marsha "Pay it No Mind" Johnson, a Stonewall instigator, Andy Warhol model, drag queen, sex worker, starving actress, and Saint. "Pay It" captures the legendary gay/human rights activist as she recounts her life at the forefront of The Stonewall Riots in the 1960s, the creation of S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) with Sylvia Rivera in the '70s, and a New York City activist throughout the '80s and early '90s. Through her own words, as well as in-depth interviews with gay activist Randy Wicker, former Cockettes performer Agosto Machado, author Michael Musto, Hot Peaches founder/performer, Jimmy Camicia, and Stonewall activists Bob Kohler, Danny Garvin, Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt, and Martin Boyce, Marsha's story lives on. This documentary screened in 2012 at the IFC theater in New York; the British Film Institute in London, England; Roxie Theater in San Fran; Clinton St. Theater in Portland, Ore.; and La Mutinerie Theater in Paris, France. Other public screenings include: Bronx, NY, Newark NJ, Leeds, UK, Austin TX, Art Institute of Chicago, Dublin, Ireland. You should see it. The NYPD cold case department recently reopened Marsha's case. If you or someone you know has any information, you can contact them confidentially. This film is also distributed by Frameline Films. See and share the doc I made about Marsha's friend, Randy Wicker: https://vimeo.com/117642939 I really like it.