Dozens Testify in Support of Monument to Gay Rights Near Stonewall Inn; New York Times, 5/9/16

Noah Remnick, New York Times; Dozens Testify in Support of Monument to Gay Rights Near Stonewall Inn:

"The meeting on Monday, attended by a host of local politicians and led by Representative Jerrold Nadler of Manhattan; Sally Jewell, the United States secretary of the interior; and Jonathan B. Jarvis, the National Park Service director, was the latest step in a growing effort to recognize the area as a national monument. Mr. Nadler and Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, both Democrats of New York, introduced legislation to have Congress designate the area as a unit of the national park system, and President Obama is considering executive action. Although the White House would not confirm its support, several officials last night expressed confidence that the president would follow through, and some even thanked him prematurely for his support.

“We are long overdue for recognition of the struggle for L.G.B.T. civil rights in our national park system, and there is no better way to begin telling those stories than at Stonewall,” Mr. Nadler said, to applause from the audience.

Ms. Jewell said, “The National Park Service is America’s storytelling, and we know there are stories yet to be told.”...

Two-thirds of America’s national park sites are dedicated to issues of cultural and historic significance, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. Still, there are no sites within the National Park Service dedicated solely to the gay rights movement."