This past summer, openly gay New York state Sen. Brad Holyman, who represents the district where the Stonewall Inn is located, first proposed creating a commemorative plaque to honor the individuals who fought against continued police harassment at the historic Stonewall Inn over a three day period in 1969.
The idea was shelved when the organizers didn't include anyone who was at the 1969 riots in the planning process. Since then, Holyman reorganized and in the process brought openly lesbian City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Assemblywoman Deborah Glick onboard to create a process whereby community members would be able to provide input on the plaque.
"We're helping initiate a new plaque for the Stonewall Inn along with the local community board and elected officials, the building's owners and the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission because the current plaque on the building seems insufficient. It's small, nondescript, doesn't describe the events of the riot and fails to mention transgender individuals, who played a key role in Stonewall," said Holyman in a statement to Windy City Times. "I think it's important we fix this because thousands of people visit the location every year and this important cultural and historic site deserves better. The local community board is currently taking public input and will propose the text for the plaque, which will be on a bronze marker, similar to the ones used on other buildings designated as landmarks by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission."
At the meeting of the local Community Board's Landmarks and Public Aesthetics Committee on Oct. 15 the plaque's initial wording was introduced.
"Stonewall Inn 53 Christopher Street.
"Here on the early morning of June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar. What followed were six days of sporadic riots by hundreds of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, demanding an end to police harassment, arrests and raids on gay establishments. The Stonewall Rebellion is widely regarded as the catalyst for the modern LGBT liberation movement and was noted by President Barack Obama in his 2013 inaugural address, the first time a president referred to gay rights in such a speech."
Members of the Stonewalling Accurate and Inclusive Depictions ( S.A.I.D. ) group took issue with the draft language of the plaque.
S.A.I.D., according to its website, "is an educational project drawing attention to the ongoing pattern of trans-erasure, whitewashing, misgendering and problematic messaging spread in numerous media portrayals, political establishments and educational institutions regarding the history and multi-movement building surrounding The Stonewall Riots of 1969. This campaign aims to encourage filmmakers, historians, educators, students, journalists and activists to responsibly affirm the colorful diversity which ignited the global revolution which the Stonewall Rebellion inspired."
In a press release on the S.A.I.D. website, Miss Major—a S.A.I.D. organizer, executive director of T.G.I Justice Project and a Stonewall veteran who was inside the Inn when the riots started—said, "We started S.A.I.D.'s campaign to honor all those at the Stonewall Inn the night the riots erupted and, though you wouldn't know it by viewing the inaccurate 'Stonewall Uprising' film or a string of other ( mis ) depictions, that most definitely and primarily included trans women and people of color. The plaque should not use 'gay' as an umbrella term as it marginalizes and erases the many trans people there. I'm not gay. Many transsexual and transgender people are also not gay."
"The LGBTQ community can identify with the institutionalized hurt of being ignored or devalued, making it ironic that some in our own community continue to whitewash Stonewall history. In the process of mainstreaming who are we leaving behind? The brave trans women and people of color who led the Stonewall uprising should be recognized for their contribution to LGBTQ history. Anything less would be a disservice to all," said Yetta G. Kurland; openly lesbian civil rights attorney, community activist and supporter of S.A.I.D.'s education campaign; in a statement to Windy City Times.
"The plaque's draft twice misusing gay as an umbrella term misleads the public to think sexual orientation is equivalent to a transgender gender identity or transsexual medical condition," said trans* and intersex journalist and organizer with S.A.I.D. Ashley Love, in a statement to Windy City Times. "This misrepresentation, also spread in media and edu-political campaigns, downplays trans people's significant role in Stonewall and inconspicuously mirrors decades of misinformation by transphobic LGB individuals ... ."
"We're repetitively misgendered by supposed allies. There's an alarming trend of the Trans Day of Remembrance vigil being co-opted and gay-washed within Gay, Inc. What's supposed to be a somber occasion is being merged with alcohol parties, fundraising and problematic messaging, such as TurnOut's ( Turner's LGBT group ) Nov. 20 cocktail mixer and 'Owning Your Safety' panel, which essentially blames the victim. Is respecting our history and TDOR ceremonies too much to ask?"
The Community Board 2's Social Services and Education Committee met on Nov. 19 to discuss the plaque's specific wording. In another statement to Windy City Times, Holyman said, "The initial wording is a starting point which needs public input to get it right." No decisions have been made on the final wording of the plaque.
