It became clear on Thursday, February 13 2025 that the National Parks Service had removed any mention of transgender individuals and the word queer from the Stonewall National Monument’s website–the Stonewall National Monument is the site of the famed Stonewall Uprising, a foundational event of the fight for queer civil rights, of which transgender and gender nonconforming people were an essential part. New York City activists and local government officials quickly assembled a “No LGB without T” Protest for the next day.
As the famed Stonewall Inn, site of the Uprising, and its corresponding Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative shared, “This blatant act of erasure not only distorts the truth of our history, but it also dishonors the immense contributions of transgender individuals–especially transgender women of color–who were at the forefront of the Stonewall Riots and the broader fight for LGBTQ+ rights.”
By noon on February 14, Christopher Park, the site of the Stonewall National Monument, was filled with speakers, leaders, activists, and citizens from the LGBTQ+ community, all decrying the aforementioned erasure–as it stands right now, the site only lists the designation “LGB” and does not use the word queer to explain the significance of the Stonewall National Monument. To ignore transgender and gender nonconforming contributions to the Stonewall Uprising is not only a factual error, it’s a dangerous one. Transgender and gender nonconforming people have been a vital part of queer history and American history since the country’s founding (and long before).
The commitment of such an outrageous fallacy comes on the heels of the administration’s Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” But transgender people can’t be erased from trans history, queer history, or American history. Speakers gathered to combat the erasure, calling for equal rights, for the National Parks Service and New York State elected officials to stand up for their constituents, for the importance of acknowledging trans and gender nonconforming contributions LGBTQ+ history, for the support of cisgender individuals, and for the support of trans and gender nonconforming lives.
Here are photos from the February 14 “No LGB Without the T” Protest.
Outside Christopher Park
Elyssa Goodman
At the Stonewall National Monument
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Bernie Wagenblast, a voice of the NYC Subway, and activist Randy Wicker
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Activist Tabytha Gonzalez at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
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Reverend Yunus Coldman at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Performer, model, and activist Angelica Christina at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
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Performer and activist Marti Gould Cummings at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
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Activist Tanya Asapansa-Johnson Walker, co-founder of the New York Transgender Advocacy Group
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Student and activist Lorelei Crean at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
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Clark Wolff Hamel, Acting Executive Director of PFLAG, at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
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Performer and activist Rene Imperato at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Bernie Wagenblast, a voice of the NYC Subway, at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
A sign honoring transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" ProtestElyssa Goodman
Sister Rich B* Claire of the The NYC (dis)Order of SistersElyssa Goodman
Performer Chloe Elentari at the "No LGB Without T" ProtestElyssa Goodman
Outside Christopher Park, in front of restaurant Jeffrey's GroceryElyssa Goodman