Today the beige Stetson hats of the National Parks Service (NPS) will start appearing at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, as the site was declared a national monument on Friday. Designated by President Barack Obama, it’s the first of the United States’ 122 national monuments to commemorate the gay rights movement.
President Obama said in a statement:
I’m designating the Stonewall National Monument as the newest addition to America’s National Park System. Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights. 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.
