Event Oval, Diana Center
Barnard College
For the Helen Pond McIntyre ‘48 Lecture, Tourmaline will discuss her new biography of Marsha P. Johnson, followed by conversation with Professor C. Riley Snorton. Finding creative guidance in the archive, they will explore the power of Johnson’s life as a blueprint for living today and the continued struggle for queer and trans liberation.
Tourmaline’s new book, MARSHA: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson (Penguin Random House, 2025), is the first definitive biography of the Black trans activist and icon. Richly researched and vividly written with extensive access to Marsha’s friends and family, this book brings to light her legacy and unwavering commitment to the fight for queer and trans liberation. It was named a National Bestseller, received a Starred Review by Publishers Weekly, and was selected by The New York Times for inclusion in the Nonfiction Spring Book Preview. Tourmaline is an award-winning artist, filmmaker, writer, and activist who has spent two decades studying, preserving, and celebrating Johnson’s life.
This event is part of a series, “We Will Not Be Erased: Queer Archives, Trans Histories,” that will continue with a conversation between Tourmaline and Steven Watson—creator of Artifacts, a platform dedicated to preserving rare archival footage of queer and trans cultural pioneers—on November 19.
This event is free and open to the public with live ASL interpretation provided by Brandon Kazen-Maddox of Body Language Productions and DB-TIP (DeafBlind Training, Interpreting and Professional Development). Registration is required. BCRW will provide free copies of MARSHA to the first 140 students who register.
