After “LGBTQ+” acronym changed to “LGB,” protest set for Stonewall National Monument
By Kristie Keleshian
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NEW YORK (WCBS) — Protesters are expected at the Stonewall National Monument Friday after references to trans and queer people were removed from the National Park Service website.
The protest will take place outside the monument where the LGBTQ+ rights movement was born decades ago.
Trans flags are stilly flying at Christopher Park near the Stonewall Inn, and after hearing from its co-owners there is no sign that any will be taken down.
On the National Park Service website, most references to trans and queer people are removed, shortening the LGBTQ+ acronym to LGB, standing for lesbian, gay and bisexual. It follows an executive order signed by President Trump on his first day in office having the federal government recognize two sexes, male and female, which he had also mentioned in his inauguration speech.
“They are the reason we have the rights we have” On the National Park Service website, and posted on the Christopher Park fence in front of the Stonewall Inn, you can see references to some of the first advocates for trans people like Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, and more.
“It was trans women of color, trans women like Sylvia, Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, trans women that put their lives on the line, that stood on the front lines of this revolution. They are the reason why we have the rights that we have today, not just for trans people, but for LGBT people in general,” Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative board member Angelica Christina said.
“We’re going to do everything we can, especially with our nonprofit that fights for equality all over the globe, Stonewall Gives Back Initiative, to make sure that people know that we’re not going to tolerate this. Progress and civil rights, LGBTQ rights have never been made by being silent, and we’re not going to be silent,” Stonewall Inn co-owner Stacy Lentz said.
“Cruel and petty” Gov. Kathy Hochul also responded to the move.
“This is just cruel and petty. Transgender people play a critical role in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights — and New York will never allow their contributions to be erased,” Hochul wrote on social media.
The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center officially opened in June, 2024, becoming the first LGBTQ+ visitor center recognized by the National Park Service. The Stonewall Inn became a national monument in 2016. It’s considered the birthplace of the gay rights movement.
In 1969, when New York City still outlawed homosexual acts, police raided the bar, triggering riots.
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