Rangers: Uncensored
Some have called the National Park Service “America’s storyteller.” According to the National Parks Conservation Association, more than two-thirds of America’s national park sites are devoted to protecting history and culture. As rangers, we are public servants and public historians. We tell all Americans' stories.
On February 13th, 2025, The words transgender and queer were erased from the Stonewall National Monument website.
The change was quickly noticed by the public, and outrage spread.
But it is not just Stonewall that has been censored. Across the United States, national parks and other government agencies are being instructed to remove mentions of transgender and queer experiences from their websites and exhibits.
Articles discussing the contributions of women and people of color have been removed or edited.
Pages discussing climate change have been deleted from many park websites, and many others remain at risk.
Over 100 NPS website pages have been deactivated. In 233 more instances, LGBTQ+ has been changed to LGB in a more subtle erasure.
The removal of this content does not erase this history. These stories matter. Now, more than ever, they are important to share, loudly and authentically.
What follows is a growing list of content that has been censored due to recent executive orders.
Thankfully, these pages are preserved and made freely available through the Internet Archive. Click the brown Learn More button to see the most recently archived version of the deleted page. Have patience as page loading from the Internet Archive can be slow.
We invite you to explore the history that the current administration does not want rangers to share with you:
This is your American history.
Transgender Experiences
The National Park Service’s purge of queer history is part of a larger ongoing attack on the rights of transgender people. Language has power; by attempting to control the narrative around transgender history, the current administration is sending a clear message about power and rights.
We as park rangers have another message: Transgender people have always been here. We will continue to tell the stories of all Americans, and we invite you to explore information about trans and gender non-conforming people central to National Park Service sites:
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Marsha P. Johnson- Stonewall National Historical Park, NY
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![A young woman poses on a jacket draped on a water fountain's edge. She wears a white shirt and grey pants.]()
Sylvia Rivera- Stonewall National Historical Park, NY
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![A young black woman sits on a folding table. She wears a bandana tied around her forehead with a crop top and jeans.]()
Zazu Nova- Stonewall National Historical Park, NY
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![Black and white photo of a person with short wavy hair and glasses. They are wearing a jacket over a black shirt with a clerical collar]()
Pauli Murray- Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, NY
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![Black and white sketch of a man wearing a brimmed hat and a suit jacket]()
Jack Bee Garland- Golden Gate National Recreation Area, CA
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![Black and white photo of a man with a short, military haircut, wearing a button up uniform jacket]()
Albert Cashier- Vicksburg National Military Park, MS
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![A person with curled hair wears an 18th century black gown with a white scarf tied around their neck]()
The Public Universal Friend's Home- NY
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![Two people with long wavy hair and bangs lean into each other. They are both wearing a white garment and a lacy white neck adornment]()
Women of the Pimería Alta-Gender and Sex- The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, CA, AZ, & Sonora, Mexico. Tumacácori National Historical Park, AZ
General Resources
“LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History” is a 1000+ page project published in 2016. This study served as the National Park Service’s comprehensive guide to United States queer history. The companion “Pride Guide” offers a condensed version of the information in the Theme Study as well as activities and discussion questions.
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![Text reads "LGBTQ+ America: A theme study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer history" over a background of colorful dots, with red a the top transitioning through the rainbow to blue at the bottom]()
LGBTQ+ Theme Study
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![Text reads "The Pride Guide" over a rainbow watercolor background]()
The Pride Guide: An Interactive Workbook
Other Park Content
In addition to removing articles about transgender folks, the order to remove the word queer from National Park Service websites has led to deletion of many additional resources about LGBTQ+ history.
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![Portrait of a man with white hair wearing a revolutionary war era military uniform decorated with several metals]()
The General von Steuben Statue: Interpreting LGBTQ+ Histories of the Revolution
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![Shot of a historic marker describing gay rights demonstrations held at Independence Hall. Independence Hall is shown in the background]()
The Philadelphia LGBTQ Heritage Initiative
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![Photo of the White House lit up with rainbow colors. The Washington Monument is also seen in the background]()
Series: Finding Our Place: LGBTQ Heritage in the United States
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![A line of protesters hold signs on picket. The woman at the front of the line holds one that reads "Sexual Preference is Irrelevant to Federal Employment"]()
DC Queer History Tour
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![Poster reads "would you rather have a vote than a husband?" with arguments for yes and no]()
The Very Queer History of the Suffrage Movement
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![Photo taken from behind the shoulder of a person in a flannel shirt standing at a podium addressing a crowd of people who are clapping. They are all inside a room with a historic clock on the wall, and pillars holding up a gallery holding more people]()
Gay and Lesbian Town Meeting
Climate and other subjects
It is not just queer history being erased from National Park Service websites. Check out some of the many other pages on Climate, Sustainability, and other topics that have been removed since Jan 20:
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![Text reads "Green Parks Plan: Third Edition Advancing the National Park Service Mission Through Sustainable Operations" Over a background photo of tall pine trees]()
Sustainability in the National Park Service Subject Site
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![Photo of a landscape including a large snow capped mountain in the background. Closer there is a large hill and a body of water]()
Denali or Mount McKinley?
What’s next?
The stories featured here are just a tiny fraction of the web pages that have been censored by this administration. We will continue developing this list as more are removed.
Are you aware of an instance of censorship at a national park site? reach out to us on Instagram @rangers_uncensored, on Bluesky @rangers-uncensored, or by email at resistanceranger@proton.me