Stacy Lentz, the co-owner of the Stonewall Inn, says the latest move from the Trump administration hits too close to home.
"It feels like they're trying to erase the history, and do it in our own house," said Lentz, who is also the CEO of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative.
Lentz is referring to a literal erasure that took place Thursday on the National Park Service's homepage for the Stonewall National Monument.
Ever since the monument was unveiled in 2016 as the first national park dedicated to LGBTQ+ civil rights, the website has used the letters and symbol "LGBTQ+.” They stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer — and the plus sign refers to other gender identities not represented.
But by midday Thursday, the "T" had been removed, leaving "LGBQ+.” And by Thursday evening, the "Q" and the plus sign were gone as well, leaving only "LGB civil rights."
The National Park Service in a statement said it was only "implementing" President Donald Trump's executive order in which he proclaimed only two genders, as well as an Interior Department memo eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
"This decision to essentially erase us from their website perfectly aligns with Donald Trump and his sycophants' attempts to erase us from public view," said Angelica Christina, a board director at the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative and also a trans woman.
"I think all these ridiculous and violent executive orders are just a distraction from the real crimes that are being committed in the White House — Elon Musk, for instance, who is not an elected official, now has access to our financial statements and Social Security numbers," Christina said.
Musk has reportedly asked the Department of the Treasury for private financial data, potentially giving him access to personal information.
"But we will not go silently," she added. "We will not go anywhere."
Advocates say the latest move from the administration is especially painful, since it directly applies to the scene of the 1969 Stonewall riots, which were waged against police raids of gay bars. In those riots, trans women of color — like Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera — played a major role.
"So to come into the birthplace of Pride as a government entity and try to erase an entire part of our community is appalling, alarming, and we must make sure this doesn't continue," Lentz said.
In a tweet, Gov. Kathy Hochul called the move "just cruel and petty."
“It is so so tragic to me," said Clark Wolff Hamel, Executive Director of PFLAG NYC.
Hamel, who is also a trans man, was at a rally a week and a half ago protesting NYU Langone's decision to cancel gender-affirming care appointments for those under 19 years of age. He is heartened, just a bit, by the news earlier in the day that a federal judge put a two-week pause on Trump's attempts to withhold funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care.
"It's showing that yes this is unconstitutional, yes this is discriminatory," Hamel said. "Federal judges are not going to sit back and allow this to happen, which brings me some hope."
Annie Bohm, a senior policy counsel with the NYCLU, says this could mean NYU Langone resumes appointments.
"We are hopeful this is another arrow in the quiver, perhaps to give folks confidence to provide the care," Bohm said.
NYU Langone has not responded to requests for comment.
City Council members Erik Bottcher, Tiffany Caban and Lynn Schulman demanded Thursday night that the hospital do just that.
"[The Trump administration] has made clear that they are targeting anyone who is not a straight, white, cisgender, Christian male in our country," Bottcher said.
LGBTQ+ advocates plan to rally at 12 p.m. Friday outside the Stonewall Inn in the West Village.