New York State historic preservation organizations are speaking out against what they call an alarming attempt to rewrite history, following the National Park Service’s (NPS) removal of references to “Transgender” and “Queer” from the Stonewall National Monument website and other federal resources.
The move, which took place on February 13, has drawn widespread criticism from preservationists, who argue that LGBTQ+ history must be fully recognized and protected. The Preservation League of New York State issued a strong statement condemning the federal government’s actions, calling the erasure of transgender and queer participation in the Stonewall uprising “dangerous and unacceptable.”
Stonewall, the site of the 1969 uprising that ignited the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, was the first location in the United States to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance to LGBTQ+ history. In 2016, it became the country’s first and only national park dedicated to LGBTQ+ history.
“Transgender and queer participation cannot be erased and written out of the historical record like it never happened,” the Preservation League’s statement read. The organization emphasized that preserving and celebrating diverse histories—whether tied to disability rights, immigration, women’s history, or racial and ethnic communities—is crucial to an accurate and inclusive record of the past.
The Preservation League and numerous partner organizations, including the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project and Preservation Buffalo Niagara, pledged to continue their efforts to safeguard LGBTQ+ history. “Denying or inventing history may make some feel more comfortable, but it is neither accurate nor constructive,” the statement added.
In New York, preservationists remain committed to telling the full story of the state’s past as they push back against what they see as a politically motivated erasure of history at the national level.
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