NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The Stonewall National Monument, which is operated by the federal National Park Service, has long been considered the birthplace of the gay rights movement -- encompassing not just gay men and lesbians, but those identifying as bisexual, transgender, queer, non-binary and any other individual with a non-conforming sexual or gender identity -- for more than 50 years.
But on Thursday, that appears to have changed, when part of the the National Park Service-run website no longer cited transgender individuals, removing the "T" from "LGBTQ+. The "Q" and "+" were also removed.
For example, one page on the website (below) reads, "Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) person was illegal. The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969 is a milestone in the quest for LGB civil rights and provided momentum for a movement."
Another National Park Service page, however, does cite transgender individuals (below). "The Stonewall Inn, a bar located in Greenwich Village, New York City, was the scene of an uprising against police repression that led to a key turning point in the struggle for the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans," reads one part of the page.
The National Park Service has yet to respond to 1010 WINS' request for comment.
The move is considered just one more action illustrating the Trump administration's perspective that there are two genders: cisgender males and cisgender females.
"Stonewall would not have happened without our trans siblings," council member Erik Bottcher, whose district includes Greenwich Village, where the monument is located, told 1010 WINS. "And the fact they are trying to erase their very presence at this monument is outrageous. We cannot not let this stand. And we will not let this stand."
Bottcher said efforts to divide the community will not work. "They're trying to cleave our community apart and get us to abandon our trans siblings. We are one community. All of us are together. They are not going to get this LGB thing to stick. We are not going to allow it. We are going to continue fighting."
He also warned the National Park Service that the battle has just begun. "We are going to use every tool at our disposal to fight this," he said. "We are going to fight this in the court, we are going to fight in the streets, we are going to fight it in Washington, we are going to fight it in town halls, we are going to fight it around the country."
The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative and The Stonewall Inn said in a statement they are "outraged and appalled ... 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."
Gov. Kathy Hochul slammed the move, writing on X, "This is just 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."
Elected leaders and other advocates planned a rally at Christopher Park at noon on Friday to “speak out against the erasure of Trans and Gender Nonconforming identities from the website of the Stonewall National Monument and the spread of anti-LGBTQIA2S+ bigotry – particularly anti-Trans bigotry – throughout the federal government.”