Bonus: Ceyenne & Jay Look Back at the Queer Underground
Before Pride was corporate. Before protections. Before visibility. There was survival—and there was community. In this bonus episode, we sit at the feet of two living legends of New York’s queer underground. First Ceyenne Doroshow - the performer, activist, researcher and the unstoppable force behind G.L.I.T.S. - takes us back to Brooklyn in the ‘70s and ‘80s, where she came of age as a young Black trans girl. She shares stories of unlikely protectors, neighbors who supported her in unexpected ways, the nightclubs she’ll never forget, and how she met her community mother – an icon in her own right. Then Stonewall veteran, activist, and self-identified Super Butch, Jay Toole drops us straight into their life on the streets as a teenager – sleeping in Washington Square Park and finding family among queer kids who the world left behind. Plus, they share a queer love story for the ages. Jay also wants to shout out LGBTQ+ organizations carrying the work forward today: The Audre Lorde Project, Transgender Law Center, and The Trevor Project.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Bonus: Tourmaline, Marsha’s Biographer
Hear the story of the brilliant activist, artist and writer who has been researching Marsha for nearly 20 years! We’re sharing unaired segments of our multiple conversations with Tourmaline, so you can learn more about her book, her creative process across mediums, and her wide ranging scholarship of Black trans lives. Coinciding with her recent biography Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson, Tourmaline also published a children’s book about Marsha, One Day in June. Plus, you can dig through her old Tumblr posts where she shared some archival research about Marsha. Tourmaline got close to Marsha's world early in her career as an organizer, working with the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Queers for Economic Justice and other organizations. She’s also a filmmaker whose work beautifully spotlights our community. You can check out The Personal Things about Miss Major and Atlantic is a Sea of Bones about Egyptt LaBejia. And of course there’s her film, Happy Birthday, Marsha!.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode 8: The Other Side of the Rainbow
These days, you don’t have to go far to find Marsha. Every June, big box stores roll out the Pride merch, with t-shirts, candles, and ornaments adorned with Marsha’s image. But what happens when those corporations don’t see our stories as profitable anymore? Trans folks are doing what we’ve always done, showing up for each other. Hear from our community leaders and elders who are speaking out, helping people find housing and safety, and preserving our history. That’s Marsha’s real legacy. And it matters more than ever. Learn more about G.L.I.T.S., House of gg, and other organizations that support the trans community like The Audre Lorde Project and Transgender Law Center. You can also find more information about the Michaels' family foundation. Plus learn more about Safara Malone’s activism and hear more from her on Queer Chronicles, another podcast hosted by Raquel. As always, you can find additional content on our Instagram @afterlives.pod.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode 7: I Hope Nobody Cries, Darling
Marsha spent the final days of her life surrounded by people who loved her. When she was struggling with an oncoming breakdown, a friend escaped with her to a cottage on the beach. Her final Pride was filled with love and appreciation as she marched down the streets with her fellow revolutionary, Sylvia Rivera. Just days later, though, Marsha’s body was found in the Hudson River. The police immediately declared it a suicide, but friends and family refused to accept that and organized for further investigation. We take you inside the efforts to find out what really happened and bring you to the beautiful and epic memorials that celebrated her life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode 6: Profound Acts of Care
The AIDS crisis devastated our community in the 1980s. It’s an era defined by loss. But those feelings of helplessness gave rise to unprecedented love in the form of caretaking and bold activism. For Marsha, the 80s were all of these things. The era was also marked by a new home and a chosen family in Hoboken, New Jersey. Hear how Marsha found stability, took care of herself, and provided softness and love during one of the darkest moments in our history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Marsha P. Johnson is THE icon of the LGBTQ+ movement and one of the mothers of the fight for trans rights. Today, you can buy T-shirts emblazoned with her face or walk through a park named in her honor. This season on Afterlives, we hear from Marsha in her own words.
Afterlives is a documentary podcast series about trans lives we’ve lost and the ways their stories have reshaped our world. Host Raquel Willis brings Marsha’s story to life through rare archival interviews and intimate conversations with queer elders, friends, and historians. Legend says she threw the first brick at the Stonewall riots, setting off the modern movement for queer rights. Immortalized by Warhol and known as “The Saint of Christopher Street,” Marsha was also unhoused, surviving through sex work, navigating violence, and resisting with joy.
More than 30 years after her still-unsolved death in the Hudson River, Marsha’s voice resounds louder than ever. As trans rights face renewed threats, Afterlives celebrates Marsha’s story and reflects on her enduring power as a trans ancestor.
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