A subway station in New York will be renamed to commemorate the Stonewall riots that galvanized the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, under legislation approved by state lawmakers who wrapped up their session this month.
The state legislature on Wednesday approved a bill directing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to rename the Christopher Street-Sheridan Square subway station in Greenwich Village as the Christopher Street-Stonewall National Monument station.
“This amendment will commemorate the history of the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement and inspire NY to demand justice and equality for all,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Manhattan Democrat who introduced the proposal, wrote on X after the Senate passed the measure.
The bill requires approval from Governor Kathy Hochul to go into effect.
The police raid of the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969 sparked a groundbreaking riot and several days of protests in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the country.
At the time, showing same-sex attraction or dressing in a way that was considered gender-inappropriate could lead to people being arrested and bars that served them to lose their liquor licenses.
Today, the Stonewall Inn is a national historic landmark where patrons flock every June when LGBTQ+ pride celebrations are held in New York and many other cities.
The Stonewall National Monument visitor center is also planned to open next door, the National Park Service's first center focused on LGBTQ+ history.
