Natasha Blakely, natasha.blakely@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC – As a result of Donald Trump’s broad executive orders restricting the language that federal agencies are allowed to use, the National Park Service has removed references to transgender and queer people from their webpages, including the one on the Stonewall National Monument. Other pages referencing the queer community have shortened LGBTQ+ to LGB. Other federal agencies are also removing references to women pioneers and contributors on their webpages.
In response, Jackie Ostfeld, director of the Sierra Club Outdoors for All campaign, released the following statement:
“Not only should our public lands be welcoming and inclusive to all people, regardless of their gender, sex, or sexuality, but women and members of the transgender and queer communities have always played a critical role in the legacy and history of this country. Removing acknowledgements of their presence in our national monuments and historical sites is an attempt at erasure, a denial of existence and a tool of oppression; these short-sighted moves will never erase the positive contributions LGBTQ+ communities and women have had and will continue to have on our nation and culture.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.