NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City subway station would be renamed to commemorate the Stonewall riots that galvanized the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, under legislation passed by state lawmakers as they closed out their session this month .
The state Legislature on Wednesday approved a bill directing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to change the name of the Christopher Street-Sheridan Square subway station in Greenwich Village to the Christopher Street-Stonewall National Monument Station.
“This change will commemorate the history of the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement and inspire New York to demand justice and equality for all,” said Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsored the proposal, wrote on the social platform the The approval of the measure by the Senate.
The bill now goes to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul for approval. Her office said late Sunday that it would review the legislation.
The Stonewall Inn was raided by police on June 28, 1969, sparking a riot and several days of protests that marked a seminal moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the country.
At the time, showing affection for people of the same sex or dressing in a way that was considered gender inappropriate could get people arrested and lead to bars where they could lose liquor licenses.
Today, Stonewall Inn is a National Historic Landmark, with visitors flocking to the site every June when New York and many other cities hold LGBTQ+ pride celebrations.
The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center is also expected to open next door, as the National Park Service’s first such center to focus on LGBTQ+ history.
