'You Cannot Erase Trans People': Protests Erupt at Stonewall After Website Changes
Stonewall uprising veteran Mark Segal calls removal of trans references ‘the beginning of the second Stonewall rebellion’
Protesters gathered at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City on Friday after references to transgender and queer people were removed on the National Park Service website. The backlash came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order proclaiming the federal government only recognizes two sexes.
Mark Segal, who participated in the original Stonewall uprising at age 18 and went on to found the Philadelphia Gay News and who now serves as curator for the national monument, condemned the changes. "The spirit of Stonewall means to be visible and fight back against oppression," said Segal. "You cannot erase the history of Stonewall by erasing a letter. You cannot erase trans people by erasing a letter."
While the trans flag still flies outside the Stonewall in Greenwich Village, where the LGBTQ+ rights movement was born decades ago, the federal website dedicated to it has shortened the acronym to "LGB," for lesbian, gay and bisexual.
"This petty, vindictive action is an attempt to not only erase trans people from public view, but also the entire LGBTQ+ community," Segal continued. "Stonewall, including all of us in the LGBTQ+ community who fought back that historic night and have continued to fight for 55 years, cannot and will not be erased."
Protesters rallied outside the Stonewall Inn last week, declaring trans and queer people would not be pushed back into the shadows.
"We cannot be erased by removing words from a website," Samy Nemir Olivares, a protester who identifies as nonbinary, told CBS News. "It's saying that trans and nonbinary and queer people do not exist at all."
"I think it really can send a message to the youth that they're not seen and they're not heard," protester Lisa Kelly told CBS.
"I am not going to allow any government, any organization, any person, to take away the joy that I feel as a trans person," Bernie Wagenblast, also known as the voice of the New York City subway, told the outlet.
On X, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the sudden removal of trans and queer references "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."
Segal, whose activism spans from the Stonewall Riots to becoming a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and Gay Youth, the nation's first organization addressing LGBTQ+ youth bullying and suicide, urged unity in what he called "the beginning of the second Stonewall rebellion."
"We will continue to fight, we will continue to be visible and persevere," said Segal.
On Feb. 14, the U.S. Army also posted on X that they will no longer allow transgender recruits and will stop "facilitating procedures associated with gender transition."
Even with the shorter acronym, the Stonewall website and sign on the Christopher Park fence still mention trans advocates like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, who helped lead the gay liberation movement more than 50 years ago.
"It was trans women of color, trans women like Sylvia, Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, trans women that put their lives on the line, that stood on the front lines of this revolution. They are the reason why we have the rights that we have today, not just for trans people, but for LGBT people in general," Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative board member Angelica Christina said at the Feb. 14 protest.
The Stonewall Inn became an official national monument in 2016. Police raided the bar and triggered riots in 1969 when homosexual acts were illegal in New York City.
The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center opened in June 2024 as the first LGBTQ+ visitor center recognized by the National Park Service.
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