President Obama: Honor the Stonewall Rebellion

President Obama explained in his second inaugural address that our inalienable rights may be self-evident, but they are not self-executing. They must be won and defended in every generation, by individuals and groups, because too often they are not automatically bestowed.

The Stonewall Inn and the area around it symbolize the birthplace of the struggle for justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our country. Yes, there were other places and other people who took on the fight – but Stonewall has a special place in the story of our struggle for LGBT freedom and dignity.

When we designate a national park, we say, “This place is part of our American heritage, and the people who stood up for justice in this place are part of the American story.” We urge President Obama to designate land at the Stonewall Inn as a new unit of the National Park System, to celebrate the heroism and importance of the LGBT struggle for justice.

Making this designation now will have a special meaning, given the challenges we face today: Many of the people who led the rebellion against police misconduct at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 were transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Now, 47 years later, transgender and gender-nonconforming people are under attack by hostile elected officials in states across the country, and LGBT people and all people of color are still fighting bias and unfair treatment by the police. We have made a lot of progress since 1969, but our struggle for freedom is far from finished.

Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to full civil rights for LGBT people and people living with HIV, opened its doors in New York City in 1973 – four years after the Stonewall Rebellion. Our organization emerged from a wave of activism and pride that followed the events of 1969. We are still here, 43 years later, fighting for equality and justice. We owe a debt to the early activists and pioneers who fought when it was more difficult and dangerous to do so.

Designating land by the Stonewall Inn as part of our country’s National Park System is important to the LGBT community, and it is also important to those who are not part of our community. Young people, families and neighbors, regardless of their own identities, can learn important lessons about the history of our nation by learning about the struggle for LGBT rights.

National symbols are important. They educate, honor and inspire us. We thank President Obama for considering the designation of the Stonewall neighborhood parkland as a new unit of the National Park System, and we strongly urge the president to announce such a designation as a celebration of LGBT pride next month.