The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
July 1, 2024

"Queers to Biden: Stop Arming Israel": Protests Erupt as Biden Speaks at Stonewall Monument
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Friday, President Biden flew to New York City, where he spoke at the
opening ceremony of the newly constructed Stonewall National Monument
Visitor Center. The memorial is built on the site of a gay and
trans-friendly bar called the Stonewall Inn, which was raided by New
York City police on June 28, 1969. As officers began dragging some of
the patrons out, the community, led largely by trans women, fought back,
sparking three days of rioting and resistance that launched the
modern-day LGBTQ movement. This is President Biden.
bq. President Joe Biden: "Fifty-five years ago today on this hallowed
ground, a pivotal story for our nation unfolded. The soul of the nation
was literally tested. That's not hyperbole. The soul of the nation was
tested. And the heart of this movement was ignited, and the course of
history has changed forever, not just here, but I've traveled around the
world. They look to us. They look to us, and it's part of our foreign
policy, as well, now."
As Biden addressed the Stonewall National Monument's grand opening,
queer and trans activists held protests, unfurling banners reading
"Queers to Biden: Stop Arming Israel" and "From New York to Gaza:
Stonewall was an Intifada." Stonewall veteran and legendary trans
activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy said in a statement, "Stonewall was
about kicking the cops out of our lives. Biden can't come here and
pretend to support us while he drops bombs on people in Gaza. The girls
and guys will keep on fighting, chanting, marching til every damn person
is free, including Palestinians."


.