We Will Not Be Erased: An OpEd by Dr. Bernard Schlager of CLGS at Pacific School of Religion

CLGS is the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies at PSR

BERKELEY, Calif., March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent actions by the federal government remind us thatLGBTQ+ people-especially transgender and queer individuals-remain under threat of erasure. Two recent incidents make this alarmingly clear.

On February 14, 2025, NPR reported that the National Park Service removed references to transgender people, the 'T' in LGBTQ+, and the word "queer" from the official website of the Stonewall National Monument. This monument commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots, an uprising led by trans women of color like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. By erasing their identities from the narrative, the government distorts history and denies their role in the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights.

Days later, OperaWire reported that the Kennedy Center canceled a scheduled performance by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. The concert, part of the May 2025 WorldPride celebrations, was abruptly scrapped after President Trump's newly appointed Kennedy Center board took control. The message is clear: LGBTQ+ voices and visibility are under attack.

These actions are not isolated. They follow a pattern used by autocratic regimes: introduce extreme policies to test the public's tolerance, then escalate. As journalist M. Gessen warns, such governments push boundaries until ideas once considered unthinkable become normalized. We are witnessing this now.

History offers sobering parallels. In 1957, President Eisenhower's Executive Order 10450 barred LGBTQ+ individuals from federal employment, branding them as security risks. Frank Kameny, a government astronomer fired for being gay, refused to disappear. His relentless advocacy helped spark the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

The same forces that tried to erase us then are at work today. But history also shows that resistance is powerful. LGBTQ+ activists fought back against the erasure of our community before, and we must do so again.

The removal of trans and queer identities from the Stonewall website and the silencing of LGBTQ+ voices at the Kennedy Center are calculated moves to push us back into the shadows. We cannot let that happen. We must name these attacks, challenge them, and tell our stories louder than ever.

Our history will not be rewritten. Our voices will not be silenced. And we will NOT be erased.

About PSR

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PSR offers multiple options for individuals looking to build spiritually grounded leadership skills and learn from wisdom-based traditions. To learn more, visit psr.edu.

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