Having welcomed more than 10,000 visitors in its inaugural months, the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center is poised to become a cornerstone of New York City’s tourism landscape. And that’s thanks to the hard work of Diana Rodriguez and Ann Marie Gothard.
The National Park Service’s first LGBTQ+ visitor center honors the events of June 28, 1969, and the way they helped shape the queer civil rights movement. “I think there is something very unique about standing in a place where history was made,” Rodriguez says.
Rodriguez and Gothard — who are also founders of Pride Live, which organizes the annual Stonewall Day — say that when they announced in 2022 that they planned to open just two years later, people were skeptical. But Rodriguez says “not only did we realize this vision, but we also accomplished it within budget and on time — a rarity in New York real estate.”
The visitor center features exhibitions, events, and art displays, all aimed at furthering the Stonewall legacy. “There is no greater gift than knowing we are giving back and offering to all generations of queer people a place where they can truly belong,” Gothard says. @stonewallvisctr
