New York Mayor Bill de Blasio enters the Stonewall Inn after the dedication of the Stonewall National Monument, in New York's Greenwich Village, Monday, June 27, 2016. The Stonewall National Monument will cover a 7.7-acre swath of Greenwich Village, including the tavern and the adjacent Christopher Park. The neighborhood around the bar was the site of riotous protests in 1969 after gay patrons of the bar fought back against a police raid. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Historic Stonewall Inn dedicated as national landmark

NEW YORK – Local and federal officials have joined the LGBT community at a dedication ceremony of the Stonewall Inn as a national monument to gay rights.

They gathered Monday near the iconic tavern in New York City where the modern gay rights movement took root nearly 50 years ago.

President Barack Obama created the first national monument to gay rights last week.

Speakers scheduled for the ceremony included Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

The Stonewall National Monument will cover a 7.7-acre swath of Greenwich Village, including the tavern, and the adjacent Christopher Park, locally known as Stonewall Park, and the surrounding streets where people rioted after the tavern was raided by police in 1969.

The annual Pride Parade on Sunday passed between the park and the tavern.

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