Protesters rally against transgender references removed from Stonewall website
GREENWICH VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Angry protesters rallied outside the Stonewall National Monument on Friday in response to the Trump administration removing references to transgender and queer people from the website.
The Stonewall Inn is a national monument and is considered the birthplace of the LGBTQ movement. It has its own section on the National Park Service website, but on Thursday, the T and Q, which stand for Transgender and Queer in the abbreviation, as well as the word transgender, were removed from the page.
"It's just another part of the chaos and attacks that the queer I think this one hurts particularly. This is a place where we come. It's place people come when bad things happen," said Kathy Renna with National LGBTQ Task Force. "And we come together as communities. So, you know, for us, the Stonewall Inn is a grounding space."
It's the latest effort by the Trump administration to demand that the federal government recognize only two genders. Trump had ordered that federal funds shouldn't be used to, "promote gender ideology."
"It's an attack on the truth, it's an attack on the transgender community and it's an attack on the very values of justice and equality that we as a nation claim to uphold," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler.
Many feel it's just the latest in the Trump administration's efforts to marginalize the trans community.
The president has issued executive orders barring transgender people from participating sports, threatening to take away funding from educational programs that don't comply.'
Trump has also issued executive orders targeting transgender women in the military, in federal prisons, and has restricted healthcare for transgender people under 19.
All those orders are now facing legal challenges.
"What we are fighting for are the most American ideals, the right to live safely in our neighborhoods, school and workplaces, these are special rights, these are human rights for every American and when we protect each other, everyone wins," said Delores Kovrig, a board member of the Human Rights Campaign. "Let's stand up. Stand up. Parents of transgender youth, I am begging you, it's a matter of life and death."
While the words and letters may be gone, those in the LGBTQ community say they will not be pushed back into the shadows. They plan to fight the hate once again - especially for the next generation.
"I'm sad, exhausted, like so many of us are, the news is just an onslaught of horror, but we're here to show our trans kids that their humanity has a value and that they will not be erased from history and that we will fight for them," said Marti Cumings.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the move "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," the governor said in a post on X.
The National Parks Conservation Association had this to say in a statement:
"The National Park Service exists to not only protect and preserve our most cherished places but to educate its millions of annual national park visitors about the inclusive, full history of America," said Timothy Leonard, Northeast Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. "Erasing letters or webpages does not change the history or the contributions of our transgender community members at Stonewall or anywhere else. History was made here and civil rights were earned because of Stonewall. And we're committed to ensuring more people know that story and how it continues to influence America today. Stonewall inspires and our parks must continue to include diverse stories that welcome and represent the people that shaped our nation."
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