When the trailer for Stonewall was released online earlier this week, not all the reactions on social media were positive. Many LGBT historians and activists are crying foul over the perception that Roland Emmerich’s fictionalized film white-washes the actual events and downplays the key role that Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera played in the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Emmerich, for his part, has since posted a statement via Facebook emphasizing that when the film “finally comes to theaters, audiences will see it deeply honors the real-life activists who were there — including Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Ray Castro.”
In an interesting turn of events, the criticism of Stonewall’s trailer has brought attention to a different film about Johnson and Rivera, as well as its need for funding. Happy Birthday, Marsha! tells the story of best friends, Marsha and Sylvia, in the hours leading up to the Riots. The two eventually meet up at the Stonewall Inn to celebrate Marsha’s birthday, and when the police arrive to raid the bar, Marsha and Sylvia are among the first to fight back.
Happy Birthday, Marsha! stars one of Tangerine’s breakout performers, Mya Taylor, in the role of Johnson and is currently in post-production. Filmmakers Reina Gossett and Sasha Wortzel — who both serve as writers, directors and producers of the project — are in need of donations to complete the movie and bring it to theaters.
The mission statement for the film reads as follows:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“We truly believe how we tell the stories of our heroes matters, so we are drawing upon our community to make this film because we have an opportunity to make a movie written, directed and produced by people living Sylvia & Marsha’s legacy through our own work. It’s been 45 years since the Stonewall rebellion yet the leading role that street queens, trans women of color and gender non-conforming people had during the riots hasn’t received the recognition it deserves. By making Happy Birthday, Marsha!, we are seeking to change that.”
The film is a sponsored project through WMM (Women Make Movies), which over the last five years has helped more than 120 films reach completion. Tax-deductible donations to Happy Birthday, Marsha! can be made through the movie’s website.
h/t: NewNowNext
darian
And here is the kickstarter
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/405694149/happy-birthday-marsha
AtticusBennett
YAAAAAAS!
Lorenzo Martinez
This is great!! Marsha and Sylvia were my roommates and best friends as a gay teenager without family. They were my family.
TrueWords
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo0nYv9QIj4
TrueWords
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybnH0HB0lqc
Amaurys Arias
You need to tell us about them
Jacob23
“. . . and downplays the key role that Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera played in the 1969 Stonewall Riots.”
Huh? What evidence is there that they played any role whatsoever? What evidence is there that either one was even in the vicinity? They both claimed to have been there. Multitudes of people claim to have been there. There’s cachet in being linked to a celebrated historical event. If they were down there, then where’s the proof? All I know is that the Village Voice reported on July 3, 1969:
“The turning point came when the police had difficulty keeping a dyke in a patrol car. Three times she slid out and tried to walk away. The last time a copy bodily heaved her in.”
After that resistance, the VV reports that people started throwing coins and the NYPD treated this as a rioting mob. Oddly enough, there’s not one word in the entire article about Sylvia Rivera or Marsha Johnson and their “key role.” In fact, in the article, the NYPD detective who was in charge reports that a total of 5 drag queens were present and that they were all let go. Five. Out of all the hundreds of people who were involved. And these trans activists and SJWs have the audacity to tell gay people that this event was about an army of Black drag queens and transsexuals. Trans activists are trying to erase the history of lesbians, including the lesbian whose resistance was the “turning point” at Stonewall.
Jesus Malverde
Marsha was a fixture of the village! Remains were found in the Hidson River years later and it was determined that the headless torso wAs that of Miss Marsha, may she test in peace, a strong brave pioneer of our movement, she, bravely threw the first brick! We owe our advanced to her!
Jacob23
@Jesus Malverde: Just keep repeating the same lie about “the first brick” over and over. That will make it true.
BTW, it’s sad and pathetic how so many “queers” are obsessed with preserving the myth that this mentally ill, homeless, violent individual “threw the first brick.” But they don’t really give a rat’s behind that he lived a really horrible life and died violently in his 40s. The official cause of death is suicide, although NYC later acknowledged that it could have been homicide. Either way, if you really cared about this person and weren’t only interested in using him as a prop for your politics, then you would be horrified by how he lived and died.
judysdad
Ah, yes…let’s have more “outrage”, especially from a miniscule group of people who have inexplicably been grouped together with a larger minority with whom they want little or nothing to do with. Sounds about right to me.
Bob LaBlah
Does anyone know if any of the police officers who were involved have ever done an interview? I’ve looked high and low and can’t find anything. It seems odd. They are now in their late seventies or early eights for sure but it just seems strange none of them have ever been asked to go on record about what happened that night.
Seth82
@Bob LaBlah:
Seymour Pine was interviewed for the outstanding Stonewall Uprising documentary. Pine was of course the one who led the raid.
inkpeninmd
David Carter says that Sylvia Rivera was asleep in Bryant Park after doing heroin.
Jacob23
@Bob LaBlah: As Seth82 mentions, former NYPD detective Pine has been interviewed about this extensively. But he was also interviewed by the Village Voice at the time of the riot. At that time, no one had any idea that this was anything more than a minor disturbance. He, a straight cop, had no reason to spin or lie. In fact, if anything, it would have been in the NYPD’s interests to exaggerate the presence of crossdressers, as that would have only increased public sympathy for the police and their actions. But in that interview with the Voice, he didn’t say one word about angry drag queens or transsexuals, nor about any drag queen throwing a brick. In fact, when asked about crossdressers, he said that there were only 5. They were questioned by his men and none were arrested.
Two other retired cops involved in the raid, Frank Toscano and Tommy Noble, also have been interviewed and neither backs the story being promoted by these boycotters. No Black drag queen army, no Marsha Johnson with a brick. In fact, Toscano specifically rejects this tale.
These boycotters don’t give a damn about the actual history of Stonewall. All they care about is preserving their myths, which they then use to further their political agendas relating to race and transgenderism.