New York landmarks to be lit pink, white and blue for Transgender Day of Visibility
New York state landmarks will be lit pink, white and blue — the colors of the transgender pride flag — Monday night in celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.
A proclamation signed by the governor declares the day is meant to 'reaffirm our commitment to support, affirm and celebrate New York's transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary' people.
The 15 landmarks to be lit across the state include One World Trade Center in New York City; the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building in the capital city, Albany; Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in Tarrytown; and Niagara Falls.
'New York is proud to be the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, with trailblazers like Marsha P. Johnson, whose courage and leadership sparked the fight for equality,' Hochul said in a news release Monday. 'While the Trump administration is attacking the existence of trans people through harmful policies and rhetoric, New York remains a beacon of hope and acceptance. On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the strength and resilience of the transgender community.'
Marsha P. Johnson was a longtime trans activist best known for her role in the 1969 Stonewall uprising and for her work supporting transgender women of color, particularly co-founding the trans advocacy group Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries.
In February, references to transgender and queer people were removed from the Stonewall National Monument's webpage, and 'LGBTQ+' was shortened to 'LGB' on the National Park Service's website. The changes came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. government would only recognize two unchangeable sexes, male and female.
'As one of the only LBGTQ+ members of the State Senate, and the Senator representing the historic Stonewall Inn, I often think about how I would not be the person I am today if not for the courageous trans women who sparked the modern LGBTQ rights movement right here in my district,' state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal said in the news release. 'The incessant attacks on the trans community by the federal government are deeply disturbing, but fortunately New York State has leaders who understand the importance of accepting people for who they are.'
Hochul's proclamation also dubbed New York a 'safe haven' for all transgender people, with the governor noting that it was the first state in the U.S. to issue statewide regulations prohibiting harassment and discrimination based on gender identity.
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