happy belated sylvia rivera & in memory of marsha p

 

HAPPY BELATED SYLVIA RIVERA (BORN JULY 2, 1951)

& IN MEMORY OF MARSHA P JOHNSON (DIED JULY 6, 1992)

i wanted to post this yesterday but i could get access to da innnnternnnettttttt.......

writing by marsha p

(VIA DEAN DADERKO VIA GODDESS BUNNY) 

Spare Some Change For A Dying Queen

Can you spare any change for a dying queen dar—ling? I mean I am dying. I know you don’t believe me. But I know what I’m talking about. Yes I do. Us queens know what we’re talking about because we’re for liberation, yes we are.

Look at the Stonewall. When I first came to New York all pressed and clean in a white shirt and tie what my mother bought me I heard about the Stonewall so I thought I’d go over and check it out and LORD! Men are dancing with men and one more gorgeous than another and way in the back were my sisters, honey turning it out in gold lame and wigs for days.

So I was hanging out in the Stonewall one night talking to Miss June, who was feeling low and nodding out on downs when she looked up at me and said, “Them pigs come in here tonight they better stay off my motherfuckin’ case.”

And she was right cause we wasn’t bothering nobody just hanging out and being ourselves when don’t you know sure enough the whistle done blew and in they come pushing and shoving everyone just like a bunch of pigs and ain’t nobody said nothing cause in them days if you was gay you didn’t say you was gay

So they’re pushing and shoving and nobody said nothing til them came to the queens then this pig comes up and gave Miss June one slap knocked her down ripped her dress and scratched her face.

Now Darling, anybody will tell you that a queen is sort of soft hearted, easy going person who you can sort of shove around but Darling let me tell you this. There are two things you cannot do to a queen.

One. You cannot rip a queen’s dress.

And Two…Don’t you ever, never touch the face honey…Well Miss June got up screaming and yelling when this pig goes to hit her again so I said "Hey, why don’t you leave her alone she ain’t bothering nobody.” And he turned to me and said, “Shut up you sick faggot.”

Now Darling, You can call me a lot of things, you can call me a queer, a  cocksucker, or a crazy fool, but ain’t nobody got no right to call me a piece of wood. That’s right, a piece of wood. I looked it up one day and it was right there in the Webster’s a faggot is a piece of wood. And Darling I ain’t no piece of wood and I was telling Miss Pig this when he came to knock me, then Miss June picked up a chair and swung it and everybody started screaming and fighting and queens was getting their faces scratched honey and you know what that meant.

And the next thing I know we all wound up in the Tombs……..again.

Them pigs done busted up our fun, busted our heads and just plain old busted us. But that was O.K., honey. Yes it was because that was the beginning of gay liberation in New York and in the world. Yes it was.

And now everybody done forgot who done what and why and how and you know, sometimes when I pass one of them gay bars where I see my brothers or sisters having a good time and turning it out in all their liberated glory and I see hanging right over that bar a sign what says “No Drunks, No dogs, No drags.”Can you imagine comparing me to a dog? Well honey, I just want to break right down.

But I just pay it no mind, that’s right darling, cause once you 86 me I tip and once I tip I stay tipped. And they can 86 me out of every gay bar in the village. And they can 86 me out of every gay bar in New York. And honey, they can 86 me out of every gay bar in the world and I pay it no mind because I got my friends.

Yes I do, and I do know who my friends are. My friends are people who love their gay sisters and brothers including the queens. My friends are people who got change to spare. And my friends are people who smile at me and understand when I say Can you spare any change for a dying queen, Dar—ling?

So they next time you’re in one of them bars what has that sign, “no drunks, no dogs, no drags” the next time you see them turning out one of my gay brothers or sisters Honey, you just dig real deep down into your pocket and take some of that change you’re saving for your cold beers and your hot dogs and get over yourself andspare some change for a dying queen………dar—ling.

*i just updated this post because i confused dates earlier (they are now corrected ;)