Over 75,000 people have signed a petition to replace a Christopher Columbus monument with a statue of activist Marsha P. Johnson in her hometown Elizabeth, New Jersey.
RELATED STORIES: “The Walking Dead” Star Khary Payton Thankful For Support After Introducing 11-Year-Old Transgender Son Karter
According to NBC News, the petition created by 19-year-old Celine Da Silva argues that Christopher Columbus is not a historical figure to be honored or celebrated and his statue should be replaced by a statue of transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson. Johnson is known as the pioneer for the LBGTQ rights movement during the 1969 Stonewall Riots. She also contributed to assisting black and brown members of the LBGTQ community and co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries with fellow activist Sylvia Rivera. The program aimed to help provide housing for teens and sex workers in New York City.
Da Silva’s petition states “We should commemorate Marsha P. Johnson for the incredible things she did in her lifetime and for the inspiration she is to members of the LGBT+ community worldwide, especially black trans women,”
RELATED STORIES: West Virginia Names Rosemary Ketchum It’s First Openly Transgender Official
Although Johnson did not live long enough to see her work be recognized in history, the petition says the statue will honor her memory and the legacy she left behind. On Monday, Google honored Johnson with a Google Doodle to celebrate the ending of Pride Month.
Today’s Google doodle is making me happy #MarshaPJohnson pic.twitter.com/9YrvWzk2iK
— Man of the Decade (@MissZindzi) June 30, 2020