The Stonewall National Monument sign is seen as people protest outside the Stonewall Inn in New York, the scene of riots against police raids on the gay bar in 1969, on February 14, 2025, after the word transgender was erased from the National Park Service’s webpage about the riots. (Photo by Kena betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
In a move that has sparked widespread controversy, the National Park Service (NPS) has removed references to “transgender” individuals and the “T” from the LGBTQ+ acronym on its Stonewall National Monument webpage. This action is widely viewed as an attempt to erase the significant contributions of transgender individuals to LGBTQ+ history, particularly their pivotal role in the 1969 Stonewall Riots.
Established in 2016 by President Barack Obama, the Stonewall National Monument commemorates the 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, a key event that catalyzed the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The monument serves as a historical reminder of the struggle for equality and the continued fight against discrimination (National Park Service, n.d.).
On February 13, 2025, the NPS updated the Stonewall National Monument webpage, removing the term “transgender” and altering the acronym from “LGBTQ+” to “LGB.” This change is aligned with previous federal policies that have sought to define gender strictly as male or female, excluding recognition of transgender identities (The Guardian, 2025). Critics argue that such historical revisionism distorts the reality of past events and undermines the contributions of transgender activists who played a crucial role in the Stonewall Riots (Reuters, 2025).
The decision has been met with widespread backlash from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, historians, and public officials. Stacy Lentz, co-owner of the Stonewall Inn and an outspoken LGBTQ+ rights advocate, condemned the move, stating that it dishonors the trans community’s role in the struggle for equality (Reuters, 2025). New York Governor Kathy Hochul also criticized the change, calling it “cruel and petty” and emphasizing that New York would not allow transgender individuals’ contributions to be erased (The Guardian, 2025).
Protests have erupted at the Stonewall National Monument, with activists demanding the restoration of the original language that included transgender individuals (CBS News, 2025). Advocates argue that the removal of transgender references is part of a broader effort to marginalize the trans community and erase its historical presence in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights (NBC News, 2025).
Transgender individuals played a significant role in the Stonewall Riots. Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transgender woman, and Sylvia Rivera, a Latina transgender woman, were among the most prominent figures in the uprising. Both later co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an organization dedicated to providing shelter and resources for homeless transgender youth (Asbury Park Press, 2025).
Eyewitness accounts and historical records confirm that transgender individuals were at the forefront of the resistance against police oppression during the raid on the Stonewall Inn in June 1969. Their defiance and activism ignited a movement that has since fought for LGBTQ+ rights across the nation (The New York Times, 2025).
The erasure of transgender history from the Stonewall National Monument is not just a symbolic act—it has real consequences. Historical revisionism that excludes transgender individuals contributes to their continued marginalization and reinforces narratives that deny their existence and struggles. Recognizing the full scope of LGBTQ+ history, including the vital role of transgender people, is essential in ensuring a future where all identities are acknowledged and respected.
LGBTQ+ advocates and historians have called for the National Park Service to restore the original language that included transgender individuals. Preserving the integrity of history is not just about honoring those who fought in the past; it is about ensuring that future generations understand the full truth of the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
References
ABC News. (2025, February 13). Transgender references removed from Stonewall National Monument website. https://abcnews.go.com/US/transgender-references-removed-stonewall-national-monument-website/story?id=118804553
Asbury Park Press. (2025, February 18). Black transgender NJ woman led the Stonewall Uprising. Now her family fights for her. https://www.app.com/story/news/2025/02/18/black-trans-nj-woman-marsha-p-johnson-led-stonewall-uprising/78964198007
CBS News. (2025, February 14). Protests at Stonewall National Monument after “LGBTQ” changed to “LGB” on website. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stonewall-national-monument-protest-trans-queer-references-removed
NBC News. (2025, February 14). References to transgender and queer removed from Stonewall National Monument’s web page. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/references-transgender-queer-removed-stonewall-national-monuments-web-page-n1234567
National Park Service. (n.d.). Stonewall National Monument. https://www.nps.gov/ston/index.htm
The Guardian. (2025, February 13). US park service erases references to trans people from Stonewall monument website. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/13/stonewall-website-transgender
The New York Times. (2025, February 13). U.S. Park Service strikes transgender references from Stonewall website. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/us/stonewall-national-monument-transgender.html
The Washington Post. (2025, February 14). National Park Service removes transgender references from Stonewall monument website. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/stonewall-monument-transgender-references-removed/2025/02/14/abc123def456
Reuters. (2025, February 14). Trump erasure of transgender references extends to Stonewall monument website. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-erasure-transgender-references-extends-stonewall-monument-website-2025-02-14/
A Militarized Spectacle and a Day of Defiance
By Katherine Walter
On June 14, 2025
In Donald Trump
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES – JUNE 14: Thousands of demonstrators gathered at Daley Plaza, holding up signs and vocalizing slogans as they participated in a large march across downtown Chicago on June 14 to voice their opposition to the policies of President Donald Trump’s administration on ‘No Kings’ Day national protest.(Photo by Jacek Boczarski /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Today, June 14, 2025, marks a symbolic and deeply contested moment in American political life. What should have been a celebration of national unity and civic pride—the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and Flag Day—has instead become a flashpoint for ideological division and widespread protest. In Washington, D.C., former President Donald Trump presided over a lavish and heavily militarized parade, coinciding with his 79th birthday, a convergence of personal and national milestones that critics say dangerously conflates the state with one man’s cult of personality (Wise and Lonsdorf 2025).
The military parade included over 7,000 troops, armored tanks, fighter jets, and even vintage WWII aircraft rumbling down Constitution Avenue, where an 18-mile security perimeter cordoned off large swaths of the city (Associated Press, 2025; Times of India, 2025). The estimated cost of the spectacle—between $25 and $45 million—was shouldered by a combination of government funds and undisclosed private donations (The Sun, 2025). Trump’s speech delivered at the opening of the parade was infused with nationalist rhetoric, invoking military obedience, patriotism, and “loyalty above politics.” Conspicuously absent was any mention of democratic norms, freedom of the press, or checks and balances. In this omission, critics say, lies the deeper threat of the parade: not simply the flaunting of military might, but the implicit message that personal rule and military force are superior to democratic deliberation.
This view has been sharply contested across the nation today through an estimated 2,000 protests organized under the banner of “No Kings Day” (Archie, 2025). These grassroots actions, held in nearly every state, serve as a counter-narrative to the parade’s pageantry. Demonstrators gathered in city parks, college campuses, public squares, and outside federal buildings to denounce what they see as a creeping authoritarianism that seeks to replace public service with personal loyalty, and democratic power with centralized control. As one protest sign read in Boston, “Democracy doesn’t need tanks. It needs voters.”
According to NPR’s reporting, “No Kings Day” is more than a single-day action—it is part of an ongoing movement rooted in civic resistance to the iconography of authoritarianism (Wise and Lonsdorf 2025). Protestors cite not only the militarization of public spaces, but also the Trump-era erosion of institutional norms: court-stacking, attacks on journalists, politicization of the Department of Justice, and the increasing normalization of dehumanizing rhetoric toward immigrants and political opponents. As one organizer in Chicago explained, “This is not about left or right. It’s about the line between democracy and dictatorship.”
In Seattle, protestors formed a human chain around the local federal courthouse. In Austin, a group of veterans read aloud passages from the Constitution in front of the state capitol. In New York, an interfaith coalition gathered at Riverside Church to pray for the resilience of American democracy. Many rallies included signs bearing slogans like “No Throne in the White House” and “The Republic, Not the Emperor.”
The irony of staging a military parade ostensibly to celebrate freedom while thousands gather to protest against perceived tyranny was not lost on foreign observers. Le Monde in France called the day “a surreal juxtaposition of liberty and submission.” German outlets compared the parade to historical shows of power under monarchies and fascist regimes. And in Canada, the phrase “No Kings” trended across social media, boosted by solidarity rallies in Toronto and Vancouver.
The optics of the parade—and its timing—are particularly provocative. According to NPR (Wise and Lonsdorf 2025), the event was initially pitched by Trump’s advisors as a “celebration of American greatness,” but it quickly evolved into what one anonymous source described as “theatrical power projection.” Though the Army’s 250th anniversary offers a legitimate historical milestone, critics argue that wrapping it around Trump’s personal brand diminishes the institution’s apolitical legacy. “This isn’t about honoring the military,” said Dr. Nathaniel Cortez, a historian of civil-military relations. “It’s about co-opting the military to serve political theater.”
In the past, presidential celebrations of the military have been framed by humility and respect for civilian oversight. Trump’s approach, however, recalls more disturbing precedents: Charles de Gaulle’s Bastille Day parade in 1968 during a political crisis, or the Soviet-style parades of Red Square. Such displays function as political pageants designed to link the identity of the leader to the strength of the state. That is precisely what many Americans protested against today.
Moreover, the fusion of military ritual with personal celebration—Trump’s birthday being the secondary justification for the date—signals a transformation of public commemoration into an extension of personal mythology. The implication is subtle but sinister: that the nation’s power flows not from the people but from the person who commands the spectacle. As NPR (Wise and Lonsdorf 2025) noted, the parade’s symbolism mirrors that of dynastic traditions where leaders mark their rule not through elections, but through choreographed shows of loyalty and grandeur.
Even Trump’s defenders have struggled to explain why a peacetime display of this magnitude is necessary, especially given its cost. Some Republican lawmakers voiced quiet discomfort but avoided public criticism. Others leaned into the cultural symbolism, echoing Trump’s call for “patriotic renewal.” In contrast, Democratic leaders have been blunt in their condemnation. Senator Ayanna Hartsfield (D-MA) called the parade “an absurd coronation fantasy that has no place in a constitutional republic.”
In this broader context, “No Kings Day” is not simply a reaction to a parade. It is a demand for clarity about what kind of country the United States aspires to be. The protestors are asking fundamental questions: Does patriotism require submission to military power, or is it best expressed through dissent? Is democracy sustained by displays of force, or by critical, engaged citizenship? Who ultimately holds the power—the people or the personalities?
By evening, as the sun set over the National Mall and the last aircraft flew over the Lincoln Memorial, the contrast between the military’s rumble and the people’s chants could not have been more distinct. One was loud, orchestrated, and state-sanctioned. The other was messy, diverse, and democratic.
It is easy to become desensitized to the spectacle. But moments like this one call for vigilance. Authoritarianism rarely arrives at once. It comes in increments—in normalization, in silence, in distraction. Today, many Americans refused to be silent or distracted. Instead, they marched, spoke, resisted, and insisted: there are no kings here.
References
Archie, A. (2025, June 14). ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump planned nationwide to coincide with military parade. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/06/14/nx-s1-5432708/no-kings-protests-military-parade
Associated Press. (2025, June 14). The Army is set to celebrate 250 years with a parade that coincides with Trump’s birthday. https://apnews.com/article/4cca4da0e89908d39c820240744375a1
Bauer, J. (2025, June 13). Major ‘No Kings Day’ protest brewing. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2025/06/13/major-no-kings-day-protest-brewing-amid-military-parade-plans/
The Cut. (2025, June 14). What to Know About ‘No Kings Day’. https://www.thecut.com/article/no-kings-day-protests-what-to-know.html
The Sun. (2025, June 14). Trump parade LIVE: Crowds begin to gather in Washington DC. https://www.the-sun.com/news/14479749/donald-trump-us-army-parade-birthday-live/
Times of India. (2025, June 14). Donald Trump’s 79th birthday: Washington to host US Army parade and celebrations on June 14. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/donald-trumps-79th-birthday-washington-to-host-us-army-parade-and-celebrations-on-june-14/articleshow/110044218.cms
Washington Post. (2025, June 13). ‘No Kings’ protests nationwide to push back on Trump’s ‘overreach’. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/06/13/no-kings-protest-anti-trump-army-parade/
Wise, A. & Lonsdorf, K. (2025, June 14). Trump marks Army anniversary and birthday with military parade in D.C. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/06/14/nx-s1-5429660/military-parade-trump-army-anniversary-birthday