Congressman Mondaire Jones (D-NY), the first openly gay, Black Member of Congress, joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland for a Pride Month conversation at the Stonewall Inn, the first national landmark dedicated to LGBTQ+ history in the United States. At the event, Congressman Jones and Secretary Haaland discussed the Stonewall Inn’s historic place in the LGBTQ+ rights movement, the importance of the site’s designation as a national monument, and the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ equity.

“I’m honored to celebrate Pride Month with Secretary Haaland at the Stonewall Inn, the site of the first-ever Pride protest and a national landmark in the fight for LGBTQ+ equity,” said Congressman Jones. “Pride is an opportunity to celebrate the progress our community has made, reflect on the work it’s taken to get here, and recommit to the work that remains to secure justice for all LGBTQ+ people. At a time when LGBTQ+ rights, and trans rights in particular, are under attack from the far-right, it is as important as ever that we fight to create a world where every LGBTQ+ person can live and thrive as their authentic selves. I know Secretary Haaland and the Biden Administration are committed to this fight, and I’ll continue working in partnership with the Administration and my colleagues in Congress to affirm LGBTQ+ justice.”