Statement from Legal Services NYC on the Erasure of Transgender and Queer from the Stonewall National Monument Website

New York, NY – In their latest attack against transgender and non-binary communities, the Trump Administration, through the National Park Service, removed references to transgender and queer individuals from the Stonewall National Monument website. The move follows a series of attacks against trans and non-binary communities, including ordering the federal government to only recognize “male” and “female” gender identities, refusing to change people’s gender markers on passports, threatening to defund gender-affirming medical care for transgender and intersex youth, and endangering the lives of trans individuals in prison, in addition to other measures.

The following is a statement from Christine Clarke, Chief of Litigation and Advocacy at Legal Services NYC, on the latest attack: 

“The federal government cannot erase transgender and gender non-conforming people from the fabric of our society, from our families, or from our communities. This attempt to erase trans people from history is yet another attempt to hurt people, to divide us, to harden our culture, and to incite hatred against a community of people who every day risk their lives to simply exist. We will not be made to forget those who fought at Stonewall for the right to exist, including Marsha P. Johnson and everyone who stood alongside her, and we will continue to protect, uplift, and empower LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers so they can live safely with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

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Legal Services NYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, LSNYC has challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and helped clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC fights every day to ensure New Yorkers and their families have access to the services, resources, and protections they need to survive. www.legalservicesnyc.org.