The Business RelationshipStonewall National Monument sits outside the Stonewall Inn in New York City, home of the legendary 1969 riots that helped kick off the transformational LGBTQ rights movement.
The monument sits in a tiny public park. It was designated as a national monument by President Obama in 2016. While the monument itself attracts plenty of tourists, especially during Pride season, people who don't live in New York City and who aren't planning on visiting it anytime soon don't have access to it.
That's why New York City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, otherwise known as The Center, decided to partner with Google to develop a digital version. The online monument, known as "Stonewall Forever," was unveiled to the public on Tuesday.
The digital monument exists as a website and as an app, available on Android and iOS. It includes a collection of videos, a short documentary film, oral histories that already existed, and oral histories that were created specifically for this project -- plus a dash of augmented reality. Even if you've already visited the physical Stonewall Monument, it's worth checking out the digital one.
"The Stonewall National Monument is a physical place in New York City but the impacts of the Stonewall riots have been felt across the globe," Jeff Klein, chief strategy officer for The Center, told Mashable in a phone interview. "By partnering with Google [and making this digital], we allow people to contribute no matter where they are."
"It's a modern take on what a monument is and what an experience like this can be," Klein says. "It's much more interactive and it's much more tactile."
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Users can "travel" to the monument by visiting the webpage or using the app, then hear different stories and explore Stonewall history by moving upwards towards the sky in the main frame and clicking on glowing shapes. Once users have traveled high enough up in the sky, they can share their own stories and insights by selecting "Add to the monument" in the upper right-hand corner. Finding the "Add to the monument" option can be a little tricky, but just keep navigating upwards and you'll eventually find it.
SEE ALSO: The best YouTube videos to help you come outThe Center specifically chose to amplify the stories of Stonewall participants who've been traditionally excluded from mainstream narratives.
"We've intentionally focused on people who've been excluded from records of Stonewall, including people of color, and members of the trans and gender nonconforming communities," Klein says, adding that the monument spotlights Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, trans women of color who played a key role in the riots and the subsequent LGBTQ rights movement.
William Floyd, Google's director of state and local policy, also wanted to zoom in on underrepresented stories and those of individual users -- making them accessible to a global audience only a tech giant like Google could provide.
"We need to be inclusive of all voices," Floyd told Mashable in a phone interview. "There are certain stories that are readily identified with Stonewall. But then there are those from -- the trans community, communities of color, that aren't. We wanted to create a platform that allowed people to contribute their stories. People can get that additional texture and depth to that movement if they find a story in there that resonates with them. Then they can amplify it by adding their own stories. The personal piece was very important and integral to this project."
There's only so much history one physical monument can encapsulate. A digital one that's constantly collecting new stories stands to grow forever.
New MIT report reveals energy costs of AI tools like ChatGPT
Turns out Apple is not mandating 2
Tala Ashe joins 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' as Muslim
'The Mummy' gets wrapped in savage reviews and buried alive
AMD Radeon RX 550 + Intel Pentium G4560
Facebook launches 'disaster maps' to help communities recover after crises
iOS 11 will let you beam your Wi
'To Kill a Mockingbird' will soon get a graphic novel adaptation
The Anatomy of Liberal Melancholy
You, yes you, could play Young Dumbledore in a 'Fantastic Beasts' sequel
Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 12, 2025
Tidal's latest '4:44' ads have birthed hilarious theories about Jay
Oculus installing free VR systems in nearly 100 California libraries
'Wonder Woman' trailer wins Best of Show at the Golden Trailer Awards
Every MCU movie villain ranked, from "Iron Man" to "Thunderbolts*"
Interactive map shows the global refugee crisis like you've never seen it before
Apple finally added a one
The Intercept on NSA arrest: Don't trust a thing the government tells you
Episode 4: The Wave of the Future
More women than ever lead Fortune 500 companies this year — but it's still not that many
Cops share photo of a driver that went a little too hard with their Christmas treeEssential's Andy Rubin takes leave of absence after GoogleStarbucks reveals an all new holiday cup, says it had nothing to do with that weird controversy'Destiny' fans turn innocent tMacOS High Sierra vulnerability publicly disclosed weeks ago'Game of Thrones' actually gets pretty funny if you use the wrong subtitlesYouTube deleted 150,000 kids videos that were targeted by child predatorsResurfaced footage shows Katie Couric saying Matt Lauer 'pinches me on the ass'We're getting a 'Jersey Shore' reunion to find out just how much America will endure'The Walking Dead' crossover: Lennie James' Morgan is moving to 'Fear'Here's Megyn Kelly response to Matt Lauer's sexual harassmentOur office played HQ Trivia together. Here's what we think of it.All the pop culture references you need for this new royal engagementSamsung acquires AI chatbot maker Fluently, to boost BixbyTumblr CEO David Karp will step down at the end of this yearWatch the moment Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb broke the news of Matt Lauer's firingCops share photo of a driver that went a little too hard with their Christmas treeWhatsApp gets improved YouTube integrationAll I want for Christmas is this gay as hell nativity sceneThe cult hit 'Desert Bus' makes its triumphant return in virtual reality Why yes, this is a sausage dog rally for social equality 'Wonder' is first live Ryan Lochte just got engaged to a very understanding Kayla Rae Reid Move aside, adults: Teenage girls are taking over your jobs for a day Instagram seems to be testing direct messaging on web 13 moving coming out vlogs to watch on National Coming Out Day Lady Gaga performs 'Shallow' at the 2019 Grammys: Watch Negan breaks free in the exciting return of 'The Walking Dead' Brilliant series 'Queer Ghost Hunters' reaches out to misunderstood LGBTQ ghosts 4 categories will be cut from Oscars broadcast Kylie Jenner thought lying about lip injections was the noble thing to do Donald Trump to sign an executive order to prioritize AI issues What it’s like to walk with Google Maps in augmented reality Transport yourself to a magical world with ambient soundscapes The original, unaired 'Game of Thrones' pilot was way different A breast cancer survivor is using stunning body art to reclaim her body Crypto exchange sends 103 bitcoin to wallet it's locked out of This is probably the very real and very grim reason why polar bears have invaded a Russian island Google's augmented reality Maps are live for some users Teen girl football player absolutely levels opponent during game
2.2873s , 10131.6875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Business Relationship】,Wisdom Convergence Information Network