New York City plans to rename a subway stop to honor the 1969 Stonewall riot, which is widely considered the start of the LGBTQ movement in the United States.
On Wednesday, the state senate approved A.B. A8970A, a bill that would rename the Christopher Street-Sheridan Square subway station in lower Manhattan to the “Christopher Street-Stonewall National Monument Station.”
The New York City subway system has been plagued with violence and crime. Still, this bill will ensure considerable funds so "that all signs, maps and any other items issued by the MTA are updated to accurately reflect the new name of the station within such time and in such manner as the MTA shall deem appropriate."
The bill was sponsored by State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Deborah Glick.
"The Senate passed the bill AM Glick and I share to rename the Christopher St 1 station after the Stonewall National Monument. This change will memorialize the history of the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement and inspire NY to demand justice and equality for all," Hoylman-Sigal wrote in a post on X. "Happy Pride!" The Senate passed the bill AM Glick and I share to rename the Christopher St 1 station after the Stonewall National Monument. This change will memorialize the history of the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement and inspire NY to demand justice and equality for all.
Happy Pride! pic.twitter.com/Z9GOdj9NqX
— Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (@bradhoylman) June 5, 2024
The station is located near the current Stonewall Inn bar, which was raided on June 28, 1969, for serving liquor illegally.
Britannica explains:In the early morning hours of Saturday, June 28, 1969, nine policemen entered the Stonewall Inn, arrested the employees for selling alcohol without a license, roughed up many of its patrons, cleared the bar, and—in accordance with a New York criminal statute that authorized the arrest of anyone not wearing at least three articles of gender-appropriate clothing—took several people into custody. It was the third such raid on Greenwich Village gay bars in a short period.
This time the people milling outside the bar did not retreat or scatter as they almost always had in the past. Their anger was apparent and vocal as they watched bar patrons being forced into a police van. They began to jeer at and jostle the police and then threw bottles and debris. Accustomed to more passive behaviour, even from larger gay groups, the policemen called for reinforcements and barricaded themselves inside the bar while some 400 people rioted. The police barricade was repeatedly breached, and the bar was set on fire. Police reinforcements arrived in time to extinguish the flames, and they eventually dispersed the crowd.
The bill will now head to the desk of Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is expected to sign it into law.
