title:  HISTORIC: Obama Working On Gay Rights Memorial, And The Right Can’t Stop Him
text: President Obama has of course made history as the first black president in American history, but one of the stories that is sure to be told about his presidency is the steps made to help bring LGBT Americans into the mainstream of the national dialogue. They have, of course, always been there, but they have an ally at the highest levels of the government unlike at any other time.Now President Obama, in what is supposed to be his so-called  lame duck  period, is working on a federal monument to the struggle for gay rights at Stonewall in New York City.President Obama is poised to declare the first-ever national monument recognizing the struggle for gay rights, singling out a sliver of green space and part of the surrounding Greenwich Village neighborhood as the birthplace of America s modern gay liberation movement.While most national monuments have highlighted iconic wild landscapes or historic sites from centuries ago, this reflects the country s diversity of terrain and peoples in a different vein: It would be the first national monument anchored by a dive bar and surrounded by a warren of narrow streets that long has been regarded the historic center of gay cultural life in New York City.Obama went from being tentative about same-sex marriage when he ran for the presidency in 2008, to being the first major party candidate to support it in 2012 (with an assist from Vice President Biden). Obama has gotten rid of the military s  don t ask don t tell  policy, advocated for benefits for same-sex partners, supported transgender service in the military and has refused to use the power of the government to obstruct other efforts to secure equal rights for LGBT citizens.Those fighting for LGBT rights still have some work ahead of them, especially with conservative Republicans often engaging in last-gasp efforts to attack full equality (like the mean spirited  bathroom bills  in the south), but under this president the march towards justice has had a reliable ally.Featured image via Flickr