Courtesy of the New York Daily News:
President Obama has declared the Stonewall Inn a national monument, making the iconic West Village bar the first national monument of the LGBT rights movement.
"Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story for the struggle for LGBT rights," Obama announced in a video released Friday.
The President honored the Stonewall patrons who fought back against a police raid on June 28, 1969, igniting the national gay rights movement 47 years ago.
"They stood up and spoke out. The riots became protests. The protests became a movement. The movement ultimately became an integral part of America," he said.
I remember the first time I heard about Stonewall.
I was in my early 20's working at a car dealership, and my direct supervisor was an out of the closet gay man.
The guy was hysterical, always cracking jokes. Many at his own expense.
But one day while we were talking he got dead serious and started to tell me about his experiences during something called the Stonewall riots. I swear it was almost like hearing a veteran talking about Nam.
By the end of the conversation he was literally shaking with emotion.
I think that was the first time I really understood how much hatred there was toward the LGBT community.
President Obama has a lot to be proud of, many accomplishments under his belt, but what he has done to protect and inspire LGBT folks in this country is completely unprecedented.
Source http://ift.tt/2999X8J
President Obama has declared the Stonewall Inn a national monument, making the iconic West Village bar the first national monument of the LGBT rights movement.
"Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story for the struggle for LGBT rights," Obama announced in a video released Friday.
The President honored the Stonewall patrons who fought back against a police raid on June 28, 1969, igniting the national gay rights movement 47 years ago.
"They stood up and spoke out. The riots became protests. The protests became a movement. The movement ultimately became an integral part of America," he said.
I remember the first time I heard about Stonewall.
I was in my early 20's working at a car dealership, and my direct supervisor was an out of the closet gay man.
The guy was hysterical, always cracking jokes. Many at his own expense.
But one day while we were talking he got dead serious and started to tell me about his experiences during something called the Stonewall riots. I swear it was almost like hearing a veteran talking about Nam.
By the end of the conversation he was literally shaking with emotion.
I think that was the first time I really understood how much hatred there was toward the LGBT community.
President Obama has a lot to be proud of, many accomplishments under his belt, but what he has done to protect and inspire LGBT folks in this country is completely unprecedented.
Source http://ift.tt/2999X8J
