The Real Stonewall Monument

The National Park Service is misremembering Stonewall

We're here to help correct their mistakes!

Right before Valentine's Day, 2025, our dear friends at the National Park Service updated their website for the Stonewall National Monument and seem to have made several grievous errors. Apparently, their leadership all ignored their own rules about staying a safe distance from bison and took blows to their heads. Because an agency dedicated to "preserving local history, celebrating local heritage, and creating close-to-home opportunities for kids and families to get outside, be active, and have fun" as well as preserving "unimpaired the natural and cultural resources" of our national parks, they clearly wouldn't mean to do something so fascist as erasing a whole group of people from history on PURPOSE.*

Fear not! The National Pride Service is here to help! We are going to assist our fellow NPS in maintaining their records. As we all know, nothing is EVER truly deleted from the Internet. So we collected all of the resources that our bison-addled friends clearly removed in error for your enjoyment.

The National Pride Service wishes all the lovely rangers and federal employees at the National Park Service the best. We hope their leaders experience a speedy recovery from the temporary amnesia they are experiencing regarding our trans, queer, and intersex friends. Until then, the National Pride Service will carry the burden of acknowleding their existence and contributions to history for you. Bless your hearts!

The original hero image

The current hero image for the Stonewall National Monument website is a lovely (but honestly bland) photo of the Gay Liberation Monument. We really prefer the original image, which has a fanstastic shot of people at a Pride parade admiring a smiling person in a faaaaaaaabulous green wig. Here's a copy! We think you'll agree with us on this one.

A copy of the original hero image for the Stonewall National Monument website showing people standing by a fence waving pride flags as a performer in a gorgeous green wig dances.

Failing Acronyms 101

You think a Federal government agency wouldn't be so bad at acronyms, yet throughout the revised website, the NPS keeps using LBG when they really mean LGBTQ+. They DID learn that lesson before they played chicken with that bison herd, because the original text they had describing the Stonewall Inn looked like this:

Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) person was illegal. The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969 is a milestone in the quest for LGBTQ+ civil rights and provided momentum for a movement.

Their error even extended to the mislabeling of pride flags, which those poor confused souls at the NPS are calling "LGB" flags now. Honestly, we consider ourselves pretty smart here at the National Pride Service and we've NEVER heard of an LGB flag! Sounds like the name of a sandwich to us. A not-so-great sandwich.

As you can see from the following screenshot comparing the new and the original versions of the NPS website, the National Park Service was capable of labeling these flags correctly. Maybe bison pheremones contributed to them forgetting. Who wouldn't get overwhelmed by bison musk? They're not alone. The whole goverment appears to be having musk-related problems.

A screenshot of the NPS website showing the incorrect labeling of pride flags with the word WRONG beneath it and a screenshot of the correct labeling next to it with the word CORRECT beneath it.

No more Stonewall Forever

We're not sure why the NPS would remove a link to the Stonewall Forever project. Their lack of control over the content may have something to do with it. Yet if government employees are as lazy as our current executive branch keeps implying (which we certainly do not believe), then surely they would have jumped on the chance to have content they don't have to maintain themselves. Maybe the bison they annoyed can tell us the real reason. In the meantime, we'll help them out by giving y'all a link to Stonewall Forever for your enjoyment.

A hidden video series — oh myyyyyyyy!

Seems that the biggest errors on the newest version of the website have been introduced under the "Learn About the Park" section, where the an entire menu item for the Stonewall 5th Anniversary video series has been removed under "Photos and multimedia". To be fair to our NPS friends, they DO have a link to the series still on the home page. But it goes to a 404 page. How curious!

Yet they seem to have forgotten to take the videos down from their YouTube channel. Oh darn! We can't really blame them for forgetting that since they're feeling so poorly. Although, since the National Park Service leadership is currently operating under the influence of bison musk, they will almost certainly delete that YouTube channel in a fit of hoof-stamping rage. Here are as many links to those videos as we could grab just in case that happens:

Virtual ranger programs that dare to mention AIDS

We guess the NPS leadership feels squicky about certain things when they are indisposed. That's all right. We understand how they feel. There are things that make us feel nauseous too — like bigots in suits doing politician cosplay. While y'all are putting yourselves back together in the bathroom NPS leaders, we'll just leave the links to the virtual ranger programs right here:

Flags the NPS no longer wants to interpret

The Interprative Flags page no longer has flags to interpret. That's just so silly! How can park visitors possibly interpret flags if they aren't there to begin with! We'll just add the flags back for you NPS. After all, we believe every American should know the joys of trying to tell pride flags apart without Googling them.

Incorrect photo captions on Virtual Fence Exhibit

We're mildly surprised that no images were removed from the Virtual Fence Exhibit. Especially since trans activists Marsha P. Johnson, Zazu Nova, and Sylvia Rivera appear in them. We can't really expect people suffering from musk poisoning to be thorough when it comes to erasing people it seems. They made that LGB mistake again though. Still sounds like they're trying to sell us a sandwich. We're not buying. So, here are some of the photos and all of the real captions that go with them.**

Mattachine Society 'Sip-In,' 1966

Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images

After pouring their drinks, a bartender in Julius's Bar refuses to serve John Timmins, Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, and Randy Wicker, all members of the Mattachine Society, an early American gay rights group, because they announced they were gay to protest New York’s liquor laws that prevented serving gay customers. New York, New York, April 21, 1966.

Stonewall Inn Nightclub Raid Crowd Attempts to Impede Police, 1969

Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

During the Stonewall Inn nightclub raid the crowd attempts to impede police arrests outside the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village. The Stonewall Inn was frequently raided by police but this time it was different. The crowd outside began to push back against the police oppression. Many homeless LGBTQ youth who slept in Christopher Park joined in.

Inside the Stonewall Inn After Riots, 1969

Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images

View of a damaged jukebox, cigarette machine, broken chair, and trash can inside of the Stonewall Inn Inside the Stonewall Inn After Riots, 1969

Stonewall Celebrations, 1969

Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images

A group of young people celebrate outside the boarded-up Stonewall Inn Stonewall Celebrations, 1969

Graffiti on Boarded-Up Stonewall Inn Window, 1969

Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images

Hand-painted text on a boarded up window of the Stonewall Inn, text reads 'We homosexuals plead with our people to please help maintain peaceful and quiet conduct on the streets of the Village - Mattachine' Graffiti on Boarded-Up Stonewall Inn Window, 1969

Marsha P. Johnson handing out flyers with NYC students in the background Marsha P. Johnson Hands Out Flyers in Support of Gay Students at N.Y.U., 1970

Marsha P. Johnson handing out flyers with NYC students in the background Marsha P. Johnson Hands Out Flyers in Support of Gay Students at N.Y.U., 1970

Photo by Diana Davies / New York Public Library

Marsha P. Johnson hands out flyers in support of gay students at New York University while another person holds a sign reading ‘Come out of your ivory towers into the street.’ Marsha was a founding member of Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Sylvia Rivera.

Sylvia Rivera at Age 18 in New York City, 1969

Sylvia Rivera at Age 18 in New York City, 1969

Photo by Kay Tobin / New York Public Library

Sylvia Rivera laying back and posing on the edge of a water fountain. At a young age Sylvia began fighting for gay and transgender rights while also helping homeless young drag queens, like herself, gay youth, and trans people. She was a co-founded of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Marsha P. Johnson.

Mark Segal Crashes a Nixon Fundraiser, 1972

Mark Segal holding a sign that reads 'Gay Power' at a Nixon fundraiser

Mark Segal / LGBT History Project

Mark Segal, founder of a radical gay activism group known as Gay Raiders, holds a sign that reads “GAY POWER” while crashing a Nixon Fundraiser to gain attention and to increase the visibility of gay people. This sort of public disruption was common for Segal who also crashed a CBS primetime news show that was watched by 60 million people in 1973 with a sign that read “Gays protest CBS prejudice.”

Frank Kameny, Randy Wicker, and Jim Owles at Gay Liberation Conference, 1971

Frank Kameny, Randy Wicker, and Jim Owles standing and talking to each other at Gay Liberation Conference, 1971

Photo by Kay Tobin / New York Public Library

Frank Kameny, Randy Wicker, and Jim Owles attended the Rutgers Student Homophile League (SHL) sponsored Gay Liberation Conference that took place on the ground floor of the Rutgers Student Center. The SLH was the second known gay student campus organization to be formed. They were assisted by the first student organization at Columbia University, which had been organized before the Stonewall Uprising.

Zazu Nova at a Gay Liberation Front Meeting, 1970

Zazu Nova, a black transgender woman, sits on top of a table at a Gay Liberation Front meeting in 1970.

Photo by Diana Davies / New York Public Library

Zazu was identified by many eyewitnesses as the person who may have thrown the legendary “first brick” at the Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969. She was a sex worker on the streets of Greenwich Village and went by “Queen of Sex.” She also was a founding member of New York Gay Youth organization to help support the gay youth of New York.

Gay Liberation Front Marches on Times Square, New York City, 1969

Gay Liberation Front Marches on Times Square with banner that reads 'Gay Liberation Front'

Photo by Diana Davies / New York Public Library

The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) marches on times square with a banner reading ‘Gay Liberation Front.’ The GLF was a more radical gay rights activism group that seceded from the Mattachine Society. They openly marched on Times Square shortly after the Stonewall Uprising.

Gay Liberation Front Meeting at Washington Square Methodist Church, New York, 1970

Gay Liberation Front Meeting at Washington Square Methodist Church, New York, 1970

Photo by Diana Davies / New York Public Library

Many people sitting in chairs and on the floor with a Gay Liberation Front (GLF) sign in the foreground. GLF published their own newspaper, Come Out!, and became a springboard for many new semi-autonomous gay and lesbian groups that helped move the political movement for gay rights forward.

Gay Liberation Front Picketing at the Time-Life Building, 1969

People protesting with signs reading 'Time Inc. I am a human being'

Photo by Diana Davies / New York Public Library

People standing on the sidewalk holding signs that read “Time Inc. I am a human being” and “Time Inc. don’t dictate morality.” While Gay Liberation Front (GLF) fought for gay rights, they also criticized the common notion of marriage, between a man and a woman, and the traditional notion of family. They fought against the idea that gay people were classified as morally and medically ‘defective.’

Gay Liberation Front Members Judy Cartisano and Stephanie Myers at a Gay Pride Demonstration, 1970

Gay Liberation Front (GFL) members Judy Cartisano and Stephanie Myers holding a sign that reads ‘Sappho was a right-on woman” at a gay pride demonstration

Photo by Diana Davies / New York Public Library

Gay Liberation Front (GFL) members Judy Cartisano and Stephanie Myers holding a sign that reads ‘Sappho was a right-on woman” at a gay pride demonstration. Sappho, the poetess of Ancient Greece lived on the island of Lesbo, where the word ‘lesbian’ comes from, about 600 BCE and wrote about the love of women for women. GLF member Sue Schneider wrote a poem called “Sappho was a right-on woman.”

Martha Shelly, Fran Winant and Judy Reif of Lavender Menace at the Second Congress to Unite Women, 1970

Martha Shelly, Fran Winant and Judy Reif of Lavender Menace at the Second Congress to Unite Women

Photo by Diana Davies / New York Public Library

Three lesbians wearing ‘Lavender Menace’ shirts. The National Organization of Women President referred to lesbians as the “lavender menace,” for fear that lesbians would hinder the reputation of the women’s rights movement. To protest their exclusion, a group of lesbians wore ‘Lavender Menace' shirts to the NOW's Second Congress to Unite Women. This lead to NOW's support of lesbians in 1971.

Men Holding Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day 1970 Banner, 1970

Men Holding Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day 1970 Banner, 1970

Photo by Diana Davies / New York Public Library

Men holding ‘Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day 1970’ banner while walking down the middle of the street in NYC. To mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising the previous year, gay activists organized a march from Washington Place to Central Park on June 28, 1970. They were not sure if they would even reach Central Park but as more people joined the march it received a lot of media coverage and attention.

Gay People March for Rights, 1970

Two men holding hands and smiling while marching in the Christopher Street Liberation Day march on June 28, 1970

Photo by Diana Davies / New York Public Library

Two men holding hands and smiling while marching in the Christopher Street Liberation Day march on June 28, 1970. Many people that participated in this first march had worried about police intervention and other possible threats for openly fighting for gay rights. It took courage for LGBTQ people to engage in public displays of affection for fear of being arrested or beat. The march was successful and helped raise awareness and visibility for gay rights.

Gay "Be-In” at Sheep Meadow, Central Park, 1970

Thousands of people sitting in the park with signs read “lesbians unite,” “gay pride,” and “New York Mattachine.”

Photo by Diana Davies / New York Public Library

Thousands of people sitting in the park with signs read “lesbians unite,” “gay pride,” and “New York Mattachine.” The Christopher Street Liberation Day march ended with the “Be-In” event at Sheep Meadow in Central Park. The march and “Be-In” attracted thousands of people and successfully unified many gay rights activist groups and supporters to all embrace the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, making its place in history solidified.

Stonewall National Monument is Established June 24, 2016

People gathered around a plaque that reads 'Stonewall National Monument'

Department of the Interior

Stonewall National Monument (the monument) is a 7.7-acre site in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City established by presidential proclamation in 2016. The monument encompasses both public and private property, including the privately owned Stonewall Inn, portions of the New York City street network, and 0.12-acre Christopher Park, which was donated to the federal government by the City of New York.

Raising of the Progress Flag for Pride Month

Artist Miss Simone, NPS Superintendent Shirley McKinny, and LGBTQ+ activist Steven Love Menendez raise the Progress flag at Christopher Park.

Photo by Donna Aceto

(Left to Right) Artist Miss Simone, NPS Superintendent Shirley McKinney, and LGBTQ+ activist Steven Love Menendez raise the Progress flag at Christopher Park. The ceremony also included a land acknowledgement from Janis Stacey (a member of the Two Spirit community), a performance by Broadway star Lillias White, and speeches from LGBT+ activists Ann Northrop and Michael Petrelis.

Viewed from Christopher Park’s central location, this historic landscape—the park itself, the Stonewall Inn, the streets and sidewalks of the surrounding neighborhood—reveals the story of the Stonewall uprising, a watershed moment for LGBTQ rights and a transformative event in the nation’s civil rights movement. It was not the first time members of the LGBTQ community organized in their own interest. Yet, the movement to commemorate Stonewall on the first anniversary of the event inspired the largest and most successful collective protest for LGBTQ rights the nation had ever seen.

As one of the only public open spaces serving Greenwich Village west of 6th Avenue, Christopher Park has long been central to the life of the neighborhood and to its identity as an LGBTQ-friendly community. The park was created in 1837 after a large fire in 1835 devastated an overcrowded tenement on the site. By the 1960s, Christopher Park was a destination for LGBTQ youth, many of whom had run away from or been kicked out of their homes. Christopher Park served as a gathering place, refuge, and platform to voice demands for LGBTQ civil rights. Christopher Park continues to be an important place for the LGBTQ community to assemble for marches and parades, including the annual NYC Pride; expressions of grief and anger; and celebrations of victory and joy.

The deleted reading resources list

Apparently NPS leaders no longer support reading. Perhaps they are feeling left out because the bison scrambled their brains so much that they can no longer read? Why didn't they just do what every child does on the planet and ask someone to read these materials to them? We would have done the funny voices for them if they asked nicely. We'll just list all the things they don't want you to read instead so you can get a jumpstart on that holiday shopping list.

Stonewall History Resources

Books, Articles, Essays, and Other Literary Pieces about Black LGBTQ+ Experiences

These anthologies are recommended for broader experiences:

These are about specific experiences:

Links to Wayback Machine snapshots

The National Pride Service welcomes the people exploring original sources and reaching their own conclusions. Critical thinking is way more useful than vitamin C when it comes to fighting off fascism and bigotry.

If you would like to explore the archived pages for the Stonewall National monument on your own, here is a page listing all of the archived snapshots in the Wayback Machine.

Other Stonewall Resources

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Notes