Vice President Kamala Harris used a visit to the Stonewall Inn in New York City, a location that was the epicenter of riots between 54 years ago between its gay patrons and police in 1969, Monday to urge members of the LGBTQ community to continue fighting for equality.
"There are over 600 bills that are being proposed, anti-LGBTQ bills," the Guardian reported Harris saying during her visit, calling such moves a "failed policy approach" and adding: "People are afraid to be themselves – these are fundamental issues that point to the need for us to all be vigilant, to stand together."
The report said the historic riot at the bar began with a common police raid in June 1969 that started the modern LGBTQ movement and led to the New York Police Department making an apology in 2019 on the 50th anniversary of the event.
"We are not going to be overwhelmed, we're not going to be silenced, we're not going to be deterred, we are not going to tire … We're going to roll up our sleeves," she said. "That, to me, [is] what Stonewall means – strength in numbers."
Harris said the administration of President Joe Biden would support the movement in the face of legislative challenges and rhetoric coming from the right, the New York Times reported.
"We are all in this together. We are fighting for the ideals of our country," the Times reported that she said. "We believe in its promise of equality and freedom, and we fight with pride, understanding what's at stake. I mean, I am looking at where we are in our country — but we are also cleareyed about this moment."
The report said the LGBTQ community is facing legislation in red states that would ban drag shows, classroom discussions of LGBTQ issues, and transgender healthcare.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation Sunday making the state a "safe haven" for transgender individuals and their families, including those from outside of the state, stopping law enforcement from sharing information on transgender health care provided in New York, according to the report.
"As other states target L.G.B.T.Q.+ people with bigotry and fear mongering, New York is fighting back," the governor said in a statement. "These new laws will enshrine our state as a beacon of hope, a safe haven for trans youth and their families, and ensure we continue to lead the nation on LGBTQ rights."
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