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New York pols call for Stonewall to be a national park site
Politicians and activists gathered today (20 September) in front of the Stonewall Inn to announce a new campaign to designate the first US national park site dedicated to LGBT history.
Stonewall, located in the New York City neighborhood of Greenwich Village, is considered the epicenter of the modern LGBT rights movement. In 1969 June, the Mafia run bar was raided by city police.
Tired of constant harassment, such raids were common, patrons fought against the officers causing riots and marches that lasted days.
A year later the first pride parade, sponsored by the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee, was held.
‘The legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion mirrors that of our nation: a group of individuals standing together against all odds to demand their freedom,’ said Congressman Jerrold Nadler, according to a release
‘As the struggle to ensure equality for all continues, I am proud to stand with this coalition to remember the spark that launched the LGBT civil rights movement,’ Nadler continued. ‘We urge President Obama to designate the first ever National Park Service site dedicated to the history of the LGBT community, so that this story may be preserved and retold for future generations.’
Approximately two-thirds of the country’s 400 national park sites are dedicated to historic events. The Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, New York tells the story of the first Women’s Rights Convention held in 1848 July.
The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama traces the march led by Martin Luther King, Jr in the struggle for equal voting rights.
‘We have a responsibility to preserve and respect the places important to our history, and the Stonewall Inn deserves our highest recognition,’ said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “Victories like the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the passage of marriage equality in New York State and the final, decisive Supreme Court ruling securing our freedom to marry, were borne from the modern equal rights movement launched at Stonewall. It’s time for a national monument honoring the legacy of people and events that took place here.’
Earlier this summer, the local community board that represents the Stonewall neighborhood, voted unanimously for a monument to be erected honoring the rebellion.
The building is listed on the federal National Register of Historic Places.
The post New York pols call for Stonewall to be a national park site appeared first on Gay Star News.
James Withers
www.gaystarnews.com/article/new-york-pols-call-for-stonewall-to-be-a-national-park-site/
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