Stonewall named first LGBT momument installation
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On June 24, President Barack Obama announced the designation of the Stonewall National Monument — the first national monument dedicated to telling the story of the LGBT community’s struggle for equal rights.
Obama talked about the importance of preserving and sharing this significant part of the American story. Although the U.S. has seen true progress over the years, the president acknowledged that the LGBT community still faces discrimination to this day. In an address, he emphasized that as a country, “we must continue to push for equality, acceptance and tolerance — because that’s what makes our country the greatest nation on earth.”
The dedication was made on June 27 at Christopher Park in New York City’s Greenwich Village and was designated as the Stonewall National Monument using Obama’s authority under the Antiquities Act.
“The National Park Service is marking its centennial anniversary this year with a renewed commitment to tell a more complete story of our nation, and we are incredibly proud to be entrusted with the responsibility to share the story of LGBT Americans through this historic new national park site at Stonewall National Monument,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “We will work closely with the community to ensure that the history we share at this site is inclusive and gives a complete perspective of the historic events that happened there.” It is seeking to raise $2 million to support the park.
Read President Obama’s proclamation here.
info: nationalparks.org/Stonewall.
Trans military ban ends
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pentagon has announced on June 30 that it is putting an end to its ban on transgender service members.
In a statement by the American Military Partner Association, its president, Ashley Broadway-Mack said, “Soon, anyone who is qualified will finally be able to serve our great nation, regardless of their gender identity. We are eagerly anticipating the details of this historic announcement, and we are incredibly grateful for the leadership Secretary Carter has shown in getting us to this critically important point for our military families.”
In 2015, the American Medical Association approved a resolution saying there is “no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from service in the U.S. military.”
“We are elated at the news of the pending repeal of the transgender military ban and are thankful to everyone who worked so hard to see this day come to pass. We look forward to working with our military brothers and sisters to see successful implementation. We march forward into an age of greater equality,” said the advocacy group Military Freedom Coalition.
The Department of Defense announced last year that it would update its outdated regulations that prevented open service by transgender service members.
info: militarypartners.org.
Report depicts community center service
DENVER, Colo. — The “2016 LGBT Community Center Survey Report: Assessing the Capacity and Programs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Centers” has been released.
Authored by CenterLink and the Movement Advancement Project, it surveyed 143 LGBT community centers from 40 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Centers provide vital services to more than 40,000 people each week. According to the report, both large and small centers reported increased revenue, for combined 2015 revenue of $176 million, and smaller centers, often operating in locations and communities that are least accepting of LGBT people, experienced a 17 percent increase in revenue over the course of 2014 to 2015 compared to a 6 percent increase for large centers.
The full report is available online at bit.ly/295x18e.
info: lgbtcenters.org. lgbtmap.org.