Goldman, Takano, and Torres Condemn Trump Administration's Erasure of LGBTQ+ History at Stonewall National Monument

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressmen Dan Goldman (NY-10), Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Mark Takano (CA-41) and Congressional Equality Caucus Co-Chair Ritchie Torres (NY-15) led 69 House Democrats today in sending a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron opposing the NPS’ move to rewrite history across national parks and demanding the immediate restoration of references to transgender and queer Americans erased from the Stonewall National Monument website and Pride display. 

 

“The erasure of transgender and queer Americans from the history of Stonewall—or from any part of our national narrative—is a blatant attack on the integrity of public history. The history of Stonewall cannot be told without the stories of transgender Americans,” the Members wrote. 

 

Stonewall National Monument, located in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, was the first unit of the National Park System dedicated to LGBTQIA+ Equality. The Monument honors the legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion, when members of the LGBTQIA+ stood up and fought back to demand their rights at the Stonewall Inn in June 1969. The National Park Service’s move to delete content mentioning transgender and queer Americans erases the important history of the Stonewall Rebellion and the courage of trans activists like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major Griffin Gracey.  

 

In the letter, the Members condemn the Trump administration’s rewriting of history at Stonewall as well as other National Park Service sites, including reports of diminished references to Japanese American internment, Native American massacres, and the enslavement of African Americans. They also express alarm over a June 9th NPS memo directing all park units to solicit public feedback on content that “portrays American history in a negative light,” raising concerns about political interference in historical interpretation. 

 

"We urge you to immediately restore references to transgender and queer Americans on all public-facing materials for Stonewall National Monument and ensure that all educational and interpretive materials reflect the full, accurate, and inclusive history of the Stonewall Rebellion,” the Members continued. 

 

The Members also requested a full briefing on the National Park Service’s efforts to rewrite historical content and the process by which public feedback will be used to alter or remove “negative” material across the park system. 

 

 

Dear Secretary Burgum and Acting Director Bowron: 

 

We write to express our deep concern with the rewriting of history at Stonewall National Monument and other National Park Service (NPS) units.  

 

As you know, Stonewall National Monument was designated on June 24, 2016, as the first unit of the National Park System dedicated to LGBTQIA+ equality. On June 28, 1969, members of the LGBTQIA+ community made history by standing up and fighting back – demanding their rights at the Stonewall Inn. The Monument honors the legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion and the critical role it played in the LGBTQIA+ civil rights movement. This pivotal moment would not have happened without the courage of trans activists, particularly transgender women of color such as Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major Griffin Gracey, who were on the front lines and fought for gay and transgender rights. The Monument is a recognition of their bravery and sacrifice, as well as a recommitment to the ideals of equality and justice for the LGBTQIA+ community, which remain as relevant today as they were that night in 1969. While we celebrate how far we have come as a country, we must remain vigilant against the concerning rise in anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment nationwide.  

 

Among the many attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community, we are deeply alarmed by the NPS’ recent changes to Stonewall National Monument. In February, the NPS removed references to transgender people from its Stonewall National Monument web page. The NPS subsequently removed most mentions of bisexuality from the web page just before Pride Month, though this change appears to have now been reversed. The transgender pride flag was also not part of this year’s Pride display at the monument after the NPS refused to cover the cost of trans pride flags, despite previously having done so since 2023. This erasure of transgender and queer Americans from the history of Stonewall—or from any part of our national narrative—is a blatant attack on the integrity of public history. The history of Stonewall cannot be told without the stories of transgender Americans.  

 

The rewriting of Stonewall is only one example of troubling changes across the National Park System that threaten its mission, including the diminishing of stories about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, massacres of Native Americans, and the enslavement of African Americans. Units of the National Park System play a vital role in preserving and interpreting our nation’s history, including its most difficult chapters. Efforts to reshape historical interpretation to conform to political or ideological preferences risk undermining public trust and the credibility of the Park Service.  

 

We are especially troubled with the ongoing implementation of NPS’ June 9th memo that requires all NPS units to post signage to encourage the public to offer feedback on any information that they feel portrays American history and landscapes in a negative light. The memo further directs NPS to conduct a review of such content, including all public-facing images and descriptions. The lack of transparency on how NPS plans to rewrite “negative” content and incorporate visitor feedback is deeply concerning. We must reject any attempts to gloss over or otherwise rewrite difficult chapters of our history, which would not only threaten the credibility of NPS’s exhibits, but would also undermine the trust and respect of communities whose stories are a part of our American story.  

 

We urge you to immediately restore references to transgender and queer Americans on all public-facing materials for Stonewall National Monument and ensure that all educational and interpretive materials reflect the full, accurate, and inclusive history of the Stonewall Rebellion. Furthermore, we request a briefing to discuss ongoing efforts to rewrite history at Stonewall National Monument and other NPS units, including how NPS plans to use visitor feedback to alter or remove content across the National Park System.  

 

The American people deserve to know how decisions are being made about the future of their national parks.