By Matt Underwood The National Park Service’s recent removal of transgender references from the Stonewall National Monument website is a deeply troubling development. The website now exclusively mentions lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals, omitting any mention of transgender and queer people, a significant erasure of history. This change from LGBTQ+ to LGB is not merely a minor alteration; it’s a deliberate act of historical revisionism.
The updated website’s description of the Stonewall Uprising focuses solely on the pursuit of LGB civil rights, ignoring the crucial role played by transgender women and other marginalized groups in the events of 1969. This omission is particularly jarring given the documented experiences of transgender women and drag queens who faced arrest and violence during the raids that sparked the riots. The historical record is abundantly clear that trans women were not only present, but were central figures in the resistance against police brutality.
The decision to remove these references feels like a targeted attack on the transgender community. It’s a deliberate attempt to diminish their contributions and their very presence in a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history. This action is especially painful given the monument’s purpose: to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. To erase the transgender community from this narrative is to erase a significant part of the story itself. It’s a blatant rewriting of history, an attempt to diminish the impact of those who fought for equality and justice.
This isn’t just about an acronym change; it’s about actively erasing individuals like Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender woman who played a vital role in the Stonewall Riots. Ignoring her contribution and the contributions of many others is an act of profound disrespect and a betrayal of the very principles the monument is meant to represent. To remove her name and the experiences of others from this narrative diminishes the struggle and erases the voices of those who fought for the rights we have today.
The removal of these references isn’t an isolated incident. It’s part of a larger pattern of erasure and marginalization of transgender individuals. The concern that this could be a prelude to further erasures of other groups is well-founded. The implications are far-reaching and deeply unsettling. This action is a stark reminder that the fight for equality is far from over, and that the victories won in the past are constantly under threat.
Many are rightly outraged by this decision, feeling it is a blatant act of historical revisionism driven by prejudice. The act itself is incredibly insensitive, given the documented experiences of transgender individuals during the Stonewall Uprising, many of whom were arrested and subjected to violence simply for being who they were. This action is not only a disservice to history but also to the transgender community who continue to face significant challenges and discrimination.
This deliberate act of omission underscores the fragility of progress and serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for full recognition and inclusion of the transgender community. The very act of removing transgender references from the Stonewall National Monument website is not only an insult to the historical record, but it’s also a deeply hurtful act that undermines the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. The digital space may afford the ability to delete this information from the site but this should not in any way erase the reality that these individuals were at the forefront of the fight for equality. The fight for equal rights is a continuous battle, and the actions taken by the National Park Service demonstrate the need to remain vigilant and to actively resist attempts to rewrite history and erase marginalized voices. Their contributions were essential to the movement, and they deserve to be recognized and remembered. The removal of this information serves only to undermine the very fight for equality that the Stonewall Uprising represents.