Welcome to the Park of the Month newsletter for October 2026. In honor of LGBTQ+ Heritage Month, we’re featuring a park named after one of the most influential activists in American history.
Marsha P. Johnson State Park
Location
Brooklyn, New York, New York, US
Claim to fame
Marsha P. Johnson was a trailblazing activist who championed LGBTQ+ rights. As a participant in the Stonewall riots, a founding member of gay and transgender rights organizations, and an advocate for those with AIDS, she became one of the most famous activists of the early LGBTQ+ rights movement. Her work helped advance LGBTQ+ freedoms and rights around the world and is an inspiration for the continued fight for full LGBTQ+ equality.
Reason to visit
In 2020, a 7 acre (2.8ha) state park on the East River in Brooklyn was renamed in honor of Marsha, making it the first New York state park named after an openly LGBTQ+ person. The park’s colorful entrance gate encapsulates her personality, and the park hosts LGBTQ+ history walks as well as an annual festival to celebrate Marsha’s birthday, where visitors can learn about her, support causes dear to her heart, and make their very own Marsha-inspired flower crowns.
Wild Fact
Marsha P. Johnson State Park is not the only commemorative tribute to Marsha and her role as the most visible icon of a major human rights movement. Her name or likeness has featured in plays, books, murals, artwork, poetry, music, and films. Communities around the world have erected statues and plaques or renamed entire places in her honor, including a city square in Lyon, France.
Memorials like these keep alive her name but more importantly her message: that all people, no matter their differences, deserve dignity, respect, and the freedom to be themselves.
Want to learn more about Marsha P. Johnson State Park? Visit the park’s website.
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