The morning after a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, hundreds of people in New York City gathered outside of a place called The Stonewall Inn.
They placed signs and flowers outside. They cried for those who had lost their lives.
The Stonewall Inn has long been at the center of the gay rights movement in the United States. In June of 1969, police raided the bar because it was reportedly selling alcohol without a liquor license. The police harassed and arrested some of Stonewall’s gay and transgender customers. The customers fought back, and locked the police inside the bar.
The Stonewall Riot, as it became known, led to days of protests in New York City. The protesters demanded equal rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders. It marked the first major LGBT rights protest in history.
Forty-seven years later, the Stonewall Inn has become America’s first national monument dedicated to LGBT rights. President Barack Obama announced the designation of the Stonewall Inn National Monument on Friday.
After the announcement Friday, the hashtag #StonewallInn trended on social media.
The new national monument covers three hectares in the New York neighborhood of Greenwich Village, where The Stonewall Inn is located. The U.S. National Park Service will oversee the national monument.
The National Park Service now maintains 412 sites across the country.
In a video announcing the new monument, President Obama said that he believes “our national parks should reflect the full story of our country: the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us.”
He also spoke of Stonewall’s place in history. “The riots became protests. The protest became a movement. The movement ultimately became an integral part of America.”
President Obama has designated many new National Park Service sites. His administration has protected more than 100 million hectares of land and water, more than any other president before him.
Some of the new sites honor groups who have long fought for equal rights. Earlier this year, he announced a new national monument for women’s equality.
And that’s What’s Trending Today.
I’m Dan Friedell.
Ashley Thompson wrote this report with materials from the Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor.
What do you think of the honor given to The Stonewall Inn? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on WWW.VOA-STORY.COM
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Words in This Story
designation – n. the act of officially choosing someone or something to do or be something
maintain – v. to keep (something) in good condition by making repairs, correcting problems, etc.
reflect – v. to show (something) : to make (something) known
integral – adj. very important and necessary
unique – adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else
raid – v. to enter (a place) suddenly in a forceful way in order to look for someone or something
harass – v. to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way
gay – n. a person sexually attracted to someone who is the same sex
bisexual – n. a person sexually attracted to someone who is the same sex or the opposite sex
transgender – n. a person who expresses or identifies with a gender that differs from the one which corresponds to their sex as birth
lesbian – n. a woman who is sexually attracted to other women