The National Park Service has faced backlash after omitting transgender references from the Stonewall National Monument website, changing LGBTQ+ to LGB. Activists organized protests, asserting that the contributions of transgender individuals must not be overlooked in history.
Transgender Erasure Sparks Outcry at Stonewall Monument
Transgender Erasure Sparks Outcry at Stonewall Monument
Activists rally against the removal of transgender references from the Stonewall National Monument website under the Trump administration.
The Stonewall National Monument, located across from the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City, has recently come under fire for significant alterations made to its website by the Trump administration. The National Park Service (NPS) has replaced the acronym LGBTQ+ with LGB, effectively excluding transgender people from its narrative. These changes follow President Donald Trump’s executive order recognizing only male and female sexes issued on his first day in office.
Activists swiftly condemned the alteration and organized a protest at the monument, which is recognized as the first national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history. Stacy Lentz, co-owner of The Stonewall Inn, emphasized the importance of including transgender voices in the LGBTQ+ movement on her social media pages. "There is no Pride without Trans folks leading that fight!," she stated, highlighting the significance of their contributions to the movement.
According to the NPS, the changes were necessary to comply with the executive order aimed at "restoring biological truth to the federal government." The alterations are characterized as an attempt to distort the historical significance of the Stonewall riots, which took place after a critical police raid on the Stonewall Inn in 1969 and are widely regarded as a catalyst for the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Previously archived versions of the NPS site included nuanced language acknowledging the struggles of transgender individuals, but the new text has dramatically shifted its focus. Although some references to transgender history remain, they are significantly minimized, prompting an outcry from local activists and organizations.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized the changes, labeling them as "cruel and petty," while the Stonewall Inn and associated initiatives expressed outrage over the erasure, claiming it dishonors the contributions of transgender people to LGBTQ+ history.
Demonstrators voiced their dissent with signs proclaiming messages like "national park service you can't spell history without a T" alongside the monument, reinforcing the unity and strength of the current push to uphold the legacy of all members of the LGBTQ+ community.
