Happy Birthday, Marsha!

Happy Birthday, Marsha!
Directed by Reina Gossett
Sasha Wortzel
Produced by Reina Gossett
Sasha Wortzel
Written by Reina Gossett
Sasha Wortzel
Starring Mya Taylor
Cherno Biko
Eve Lindley
Grace Dunham
Release date
  • 2016 (2016)
Country United States

Happy Birthday, Marsha! is a short film about transgender rights pioneers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, set in the hours before the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. The film stars Mya Taylor as Marsha P. Johnson[1] It was written, directed, and produced by Reina Gossett and Sasha Wortzel.[2][3][4] The filmmakers raised over $25,000 on Kickstarter to fund the film.[5][6] The film has drawn positive comparisons to the critically panned 2015 film Stonewall and is a sponsored project of Women Make Movies.[7] Happy Birthday, Marsha! is currently in post-production, scheduled to be released in 2016.[8]

History Accuracy

The plot of the movie has been questioned due to its historic inaccuracy. The movie claims that Johnson was throwing a birthday party on June 28, the night of Stonewall riot. However, Johnson's birthday was documented to be August 24[9][10], therefore Johnson couldn't be throwing a birthday party in June as the movie depicted. The movie claims that Sylvia Rivera was fighting with Marsha P Johnson in Stonewall riot, but her presence in the riot has been denied by many Stonewall veterans, including Johnson herself. Johnson claimed that Rivera has "fallen asleep in Bryant Park after taking heroin" at the outbreak of Stonewall riot, and Johnson "woke her up to tell her about the riots". [11] The movie depicts Marsha P Johnson as the first person to fight back the police, but this account is also denied by Johnson herself. Johnson stated that she arrived at the bar at two o' clock, and "the place was already on fire... it was a raid already. The riots had already started." [12] Therefore, Johnson was not the first person to fight back at Stonewall riot.

References

  1. ↑ "'Tangerine' Star Mya Taylor Cast as Marsha P. Johnson In 'Happy Birthday, Marsha!'". /Bent. June 3, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  2. ↑ Hodson, Hannah (October 24, 2015). "Talking with Reina Gossett and Grace Dunham About Everyday Activism and Why Empathy is Everything". Autostraddle.
  3. ↑ Lindsay, Kitty (June 12, 2015). "The Trans Icons You Should Know About". Ms.
  4. ↑ Walker, John (June 4, 2015). "Connecting Stonewall to Baltimore: A conversation with some filmmakers exploring trans history". Fusion.
  5. ↑ King, Jamilah (August 15, 2014). "Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson: Trans Pioneers, BFFs, Film Stars". Colorlines.
  6. ↑ "Kickstarting Trans Visibility on Screen: Sasha Wortzel on Funding Happy Birthday, Marsha!". Filmmaker Magazine. August 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ Eng, Matthew (August 6, 2015). "Stonewall Trailer Gets Surprising Reaction from LGBTQ Community". Tribeca.
  8. ↑ Shorey, Eric (August 6, 2015). "Backlash Against "Stonewall" Prompts Donations To "Happy Birthday, Marsha!"". NewNowNext.
  9. ↑ U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007, Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries: "Michaels, Malcolm Jr [Malcolm Mike Michaels Jr], [M Michae Jr], [Malculm Jr]. SSN: 147346493. Gender: Male. Race: Black. Birth Date: 24 Aug 1945. Birth Place: Elizabeth, Union, New Jersey [Elizabeth, New Jersey]. Death Date: Jul 1992. Database on-line. Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com"
  10. ↑ Scan of Birth Certificate. Accessed July 8, 2017
  11. ↑ David Carter: Historian of The Stonewall Riots. Accessed July 8, 2017
  12. ↑ Making Gay History The Podcast, episode 11 - Johnson & Wicker. Accessed July 8, 2017


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