The National Park Service (NPS) has come under fire after removing references to transgender individuals from the Stonewall National Monument website, a designation that commemorates the historic 1969 riots pivotal to the LGBTQ+ rights movement. The website now solely refers to the community as "LGB," replacing the previous term "LGBTQ+" and omitting "queer" alongside references to transgender people. This modification is attributed to an executive order signed by President Trump, which mandates that the federal government recognize only two genders: male and female.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul condemned the changes as "cruel and petty," declaring that “Transgender people play a critical role in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights — and New York will never allow their contributions to be erased.” Following the announcement, activists organized a protest at the Stonewall monument, emphasizing the significance of transgender individuals in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The Stonewall Inn, located in New York City’s Greenwich Village, became the focal point of uproar against police raids on June 28, 1969, leading to the first Stonewall riots.

Activists have voiced their outrage, stating that the decision intentionally marginalizes a vital part of history. “This blatant act of erasure not only distorts the truth of our history, but it also dishonors the immense contributions of transgender individuals,” said representatives from the Stonewall Inn and the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative.

Despite the removal of specific terms, the website still contains various resources and photographs regarding the Stonewall Riots, among notable transgender activists such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who played crucial roles in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Critics like Timothy Leonard, Northeast program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, have pointed out that "erasing letters or webpages does not change the history or the contributions of the transgender community at Stonewall or elsewhere.”

While the updates to the NPS website align with the broader push by the Trump administration to roll back transgender rights across federal agencies, many advocates remain determined to keep the contributions of transgender activists recognized on this historic platform. A protest organized by local LGBTQ+ groups aims to restore transgender representation on the website and highlight their critical role in past and present movements for equality.

For further information regarding this development, visit the original articles at BBC, The Daily Beast, and ABC News.