Obama names first national monument to LGBT rights
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/24/travel/stonewall-inn-first-lgbt-national-monument/index.html
There is a estimated NINE MILLION members of the LGBT community.. and in reality they have been discriminated against often by the same police/judicial system whose core mission is to “serve and protect”. Congress has passed laws against discrimination against particular segments of our society… by the Civil Rights Act 1964 and the Americans with Disability Act 1990. IMO, under the Obama administration those in the LGBT community have experience less discrimination and more freedoms… HOWEVER… during that same time frame… this administration has ramp up the discrimination and segregation of the estimated 106 million chronic pain pts and the estimated 2.1 mental health pts that are self medicating the demons in their head and/or monkeys on their back with some substance … typically opiates. No NATIONAL MONUMENT for all those who have died from an unintentional or intentional overdose… none for all those chronic pain pts that thanks to the DEA/CDC and other parts of the Federal alphabet soup of agencies and many state legislatures that have decided that they are fully capable of practicing medicine without a license… implementing “cookie cutter” medical guidelines for all chronic pain pts. Obama campaigned 8 yrs ago and promised to “fundamentally change America” We are now seeing that change can be GOOD or BAD .. depending on the agenda behind the person- or administration – is driving that change and which groups have been targeted to be helped or harmed. Apparently the promised changes was not suppose to be equalitarian
“This week I’m designating the Stonewall National Monument as the newest addition to America’s national park system,” Obama said in a video released by the White House on Friday.
“I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country — the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us, that we are stronger together. That out of many, we are one,” Obama said.
The White House said the monument would encompass Christopher Park, the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding streets and sidewalks that were the sites of the 1969 Stonewall uprising.
In the early morning of June 28, 1969, a police raid on the Stonewall Inn — a typical occurrence at gay bars in the 1960s — made history when patrons fought back.
After police arrested many Stonewall patrons that morning, people protested outside the bar for weeks afterward, leading to the first march for gay and lesbian rights in July 1969.
Those protests are often credited as a flashpoint for LGBT rights in the United States.
While Obama’s announcement came two days before New York City’s Sunday pride march, which is often celebratory, the attack on the Orlando gay nightclub Pulse that killed 49 people added a somber tone to the announcement.
June is traditionally pride month in many cities around the world, with people turning out for parades and picnics.
While many of those parades have taken on an air of celebration in recent years, both the first parade and the modern gay rights movement can be traced back to the 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn.
“The Stonewall uprising, led primarily by people of color and people of transgender experience, was a watershed moment in our nation’s history, sparking what many call the beginning of modern-day LGBT rights movements,” said Wendy Stark, executive director of the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, which primarily serves New York City’s LGBT community.
“The recognition of Stonewall as a national monument is an important step in recognizing our vibrant past and spotlighting the unique contributions LGBT Americans make to the rich fabric of our nation,” she told CNN.
“In light of the Orlando massacre as well as the daily violence and discrimination our communities still face, it’s never been more important to observe LGBT history in this way,” she said.
Stonewall has remained a gathering place for the LGBT rights movement, attracting celebrations after the Supreme Court ruled for same-sex marriage equality and mourners in the aftermath of the Orlando shooting. Protestors marched from Grand Central Terminal to the Stonewall Inn on Sunday to rally against violence toward the LGBT community.
The National Park Service, which turns 100 this year, has expanded its efforts to include sites that tell the story of the LGBT community and other diverse U.S. communities, park service director Jonathan Jarvis told CNN in April.
The effort includes a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Heritage Initiative, launched in 2014, to identify places and events associated with the story of LGBTQ Americans for inclusion in the park service.
On Monday, June 27, Jarvis and Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett will join other government officials and LGBT leaders in public dedication ceremony of the new monument.
Nearly two years ago, the National Parks Conservation Association launched a national effort to identify potential sites for an LGBT monument.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Filed under: General Problems
Leave a Reply