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Stonewall Inn Named National
Monument, a First for the Gay Rights Movement
by Eli Rosenberg | June 24,
2016
Reflected in the window of the Stonewall Inn, Senator
Kirsten Gillibrand speaking in 2015 about granting the bar a national
designation.
The Stonewall Inn has been
called the symbolic heart of New York City’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender community for decades, since the police raid and ensuing protests
there in 1969 helped galvanize a national struggle for gay rights.
On Friday, President Obama
formally recognized that history, declaring the Greenwich Village bar and its
surrounding area the Stonewall National Monument, and creating the first
National Park Service unit dedicated to the gay rights movement.
According to the White House,
the monument designation will consist of 7.7 acres, protecting the tavern,
Christopher Park across the street, and several other streets and sidewalks
where spontaneous protests were held for equal rights in 1969.
“The Stonewall Uprising is
considered by many to be the catalyst that launched the modern L.G.B.T. civil
rights movement,” President Obama wrote in a proclamation announcing the
monument’s establishment. “From this place and time, building on the work of
many before, the nation started the march — not yet finished — toward securing
equality and respect for L.G.B.T. people.”
The Stonewall Inn is
surrounded by landmarks of the gay civil rights movement and milestones of the
struggle for safety, recognition and equality in the 20th century.
Officials are now seeking to
raise money for National Park Service personnel, a temporary ranger station, a
visitor center and exhibits.
In the wake of the mass shooting
at a gay bar in Orlando, Fla., this month, the designation comes at a momentous
and emotional moment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups in New
York City and nationwide.
Advocates and activists
describe the Stonewall as a regular meeting place that people gravitate toward
in times of strife, pain or celebration for the gay community. After the
Orlando tragedy, emotional vigils were held outside to honor the victims.
Almost a year ago, the area erupted in joy when the Supreme Court ruled to
legalize same-sex marriage.
Thousands are expected to
flock to the neighborhood in celebration this weekend, in the gay pride march.
The annual parade on Sunday will travel down Christopher Street and past the
bar.
Advocates have worked to
create a national park near the Stonewall Inn for years. In May, dozens of
people testified at a hearing in the West Village in support of the proposal,
many speaking personally about the importance of the location.
Nance Lomax went to the
Stonewall Inn as a transgender teenager hoping to find community.
“Stonewall meant the world to
me,” Ms. Lomax said at the time. “It taught me I could be or do anything.”
Others spoke about their
arrests during the protest that followed a raid on June 28, 1969. The Police
Department was trying to enforce a prohibition against selling alcoholic drinks
to “homosexuals,” a news release from the White House said. It was part of a
tumultuous history between the police and gay New Yorkers that, though much
improved, still lingers in memories today.
New York City designated the
tavern a landmark last June. It has been on the National Register of Historic
Places since 1999.
On Friday, a cadre of New
York’s elected officials, including Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio,
and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, praised the designation
after it was announced.
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