Resistance Rangers launch new initiative combating government censorship, in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release: March 31, 2025
Contact: resistanceranger@proton.me
Nationwide, USA - In response to the removal of over 100 queer and transgender stories from National Park Service (NPS) websites, Resistance Rangers is launching Rangers Uncensored. This site compiles edited and deleted NPS webpages, which are available through the Internet Archive. An accompanying Instagram account, @rangers_uncensored, will also highlight these stories. This project is announced in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31.
On February 13, 2025, the words “transgender” and “queer” were erased from the Stonewall National Monument website. Across the United States, national parks and other government agencies are being instructed to remove mentions of trans and queer experiences from their websites and exhibits, along with the contributions of women and people of color.
“As America’s storytellers, rangers have a duty to tell all Americans’ stories,” said an NPS historian, who remains anonymous for fear of retribution. “Attempts to rewrite the truth and erase Americans, their identities, and their impact on our country are unacceptable. Two-spirit, transgender, and gender-nonconforming stories are intrinsic to the fabric of our nation.”
Removed pages include the stories of two trans women, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who were pivotal in the Stonewall Uprising and the gay rights movement; narratives about two-spirit individuals of the Pimería Alta; and an article about Jack Bee Garland, who was assigned female at birth but lived his life as a man, serving as a medic in the Spanish American War and aiding relief efforts after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
In another form of erasure, the acronym “LGBTQ+,” which refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and others, was changed to “LGB” in at least 233 cases. The term “LGB” is associated with the LGB alliance, a British group that espouses transphobic views.
“Erasing trans, queer, and gender-expansive people from the stories told at NPS sites silences and obscures folks who have long been here and queer, actively enriching our nation’s history,” said Alyssa Samek, an Associate Professor of Rhetorical Studies at Cal State Fullerton. “Their stories educate and remind straight and queer audiences not only that queer folks exist, but they have a long, fierce legacy of resistance to the forces of domination that persist today. The power and potential of these histories is precisely the reason they are being silenced now.”
Photos available here of Stonewall National Monument from March 1 protests.
Resistance Rangers is a group of 1000+ off-duty and former NPS rangers, including staff illegally fired and seasonal rangers whose jobs were rescinded. Our goal is to mobilize support for rangers and public lands, and inspire people to take action to protect them.
Organizers do not represent the National Park Service or Department of the Interior. Views and attitudes expressed in this news release do not reflect views and attitudes of the NPS or DOI.