Marsha P. Johnson Statue in New York City

In 2019, the New York City Council announced the installation of two monuments for Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which was a seminal moment for gay rights. After being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some LGBTQIA+ activists, frustrated with the delay, decided to take the matter into their own hands. Among them, Jesse Pallotta, artist and transgender activist, decided to sculpt a statue dedicated to Marsha P. Johnson, which stands in Christopher Park, across the street from the Stonewall Inn, on August 24, 2021, without the City’s approval. It is the first monument commemorating a transgender person in New York City Park and depicting a Stonewall riots participant. Pallotta submitted a First Amendment permit through the National Park Service in an attempt to protect the statue.