Shut up, stonewall.

AuthorShackford, Scott
PositionArtifact - Stonewall Inn as a national monument - Brief article

In June 1969, patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City clashed with authorities who treated them like degenerate threats to the social fabric. A police raid on the gay bar led to angry resistance and to several days of protests.

The Stonewall Riots play a prominent role in the history of American gay activism, and President Barack Obama even acknowledged them in his second inauguration speech. This June, 47 years after the riots, the National Park Service named the bar, nearby Christopher Park, and the surrounding streets a national monument, the first to commemorate gay history in such a fashion.

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With a National Park designation come National Park rules. A large sign posted at Christopher Park lists a series of forbidden behaviors, including drinking, smoking...

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