Marsha P Johnson Fund
Marsha P. Johnson was a brilliant, bold Black transgender activist whose joy and defiance helped spark the modern 2SLGBTQIA+ liberation movement. She was a key figure in the Stonewall uprising and later co-founded STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), creating housing and support for unhoused queer and trans youth when no one else would. Marsha lived her values out loud - radical love, mutual aid, and the unapologetic belief that the most marginalized deserve safety, dignity, and celebration.
Q Center’s Marsha P. Johnson Community Fund was launched in 2019 to provide emergency microgrants to Black and Indigenous transgender people, honoring the legacy of Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans activist and key figure in 2SLGBTQIA+ liberation whose work continues to inspire community care and resistance today. The fund was created in response to the ongoing, systemic inequities Black and Indigenous trans people face, including disproportionate rates of violence, poverty, and discrimination, realities that remain urgent and unresolved in the current social and political climate.
Since its launch, the fund has exceeded its original goals and evolved to meet present-day needs. What began as a Portland-based initiative serving 25 individuals expanded to support 37 grantees in its first year, with virtual access allowing Q Center to reach trans people across Oregon and beyond. Today, the majority of requests continue to be for critical needs such as rent and medical care, underscoring the continued lack of structural support for Black and Indigenous transgender communities—particularly those working in service, arts, and freelance sectors that remain economically precarious.