News

The U.S. government has once again made it clear that they want to erase transgender and queer people from history. This time, they did it by quietly changing “LGBTQ” to “LGB” on the Stonewall National Monument website.

Let that sink in.

The national monument that honors the Stonewall Uprising—the very birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement—has been rewritten to exclude the trans and queer people who led the fight. This is not just an oversight. This is a deliberate and cruel attempt to whitewash history, to push trans people back into the shadows, and to fuel the culture wars of an administration that thrives on hate.

But history is not up for debate.

Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, and so many other trans and gender-expansive people were the ones who put their bodies on the line at Stonewall. Their courage ignited a movement that has shaped LGBTQ+ rights in this country for over five decades. And yet, this administration wants to pretend they never existed. Without them, there is no Pride, no LGBTQ+ rights, no Stonewall history to honor at all.

And now, the government wants to pretend they never existed.

Erasing letters from a government website doesn’t change the truth. It does, however, send a dangerous message to trans youth, to our communities, and to the world: that our lives, our stories, and our contributions don’t matter. But we know better.

As people of faith, we have a moral obligation to resist.

If the government will not tell the truth, then our churches must. If the government will not protect trans and queer people, then we must go out of our way to create safe and brave spaces for all of God’s people. If the government will try to erase us, then we must show up louder, prouder, and more determined than ever.

Here’s what you can do:

• Call it out. Tell your community what’s happening. Speak truth in the face of lies.
• Take action. Show up to protests, sign petitions, and demand that the full history of Stonewall is restored.
• Make your church a true refuge. Advocate for trans inclusion, fight for justice, and be a beacon of love.

Stonewall was a rebellion. Stonewall was a fight. And we are still fighting.

#NoLGBWithoutTheT
#TransPeopleBelong
#StonewallWasATransRiot