Pink triangle curb around Stonewall National Monument would Honor Marsha P. Johnson
Since the spring of 2017, in the first Trump Administration — when I successfully persuaded the Interior Department to hoist our Pride colors on the then-federal historic flagpole at the tip of Christopher Park that comprised the Stonewall National Monument — my goal has been to make this sacred queer ground as “gay all the … Read More
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Since the spring of 2017, in the first Trump Administration — when I successfully persuaded the Interior Department to hoist our Pride colors on the then-federal historic flagpole at the tip of Christopher Park that comprised the Stonewall National Monument — my goal has been to make this sacred queer ground as “gay all the way” as possible.
Today I am proposing further claiming of every inch of the park as belonging to the LGBTQ community in all its colorful diversity.
For brevity's sake, let's call it Marsha's Curb.
We could feed two birds with one seed, so to speak, through this public arts project. We'd reclaim more of the monument and public space, and honor this amazing pioneer.
[caption id="attachment_16580" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
Rainbow Flags at Christopher Park.Donna Aceto[/caption]
While I have not researched if my hunch that the curb is municipal property, it is most likely under the control of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation or the New York City Department of Transportation, and it most certainly is not federal land.
The Stonewall National Monument in the park is federally controlled only inside the wrought iron fence, as far as I know, so the curb is not under the domain of the National Park Service.
Should I be wrong and the curb is federal property, let's act up and paint it pink anyway!
Is there enough time to win support and approval from the necessary Greenwich Village, city government, and queer community constituencies to transform the current boring state of the curb into something beautiful on Aug. 24? Realistically, no, but I'd happy to be proved wrong.
If more time is needed to make this idea real, we could hold a press conference at the Stonewall National Monument and whip up support for the pink triangle curb proposal. But if by Aug. 24, approval is miraculously all in order, I would be proud to strap on my knee pads, grab a paint brush, and slap a coat of pink on the New York City curb for Marsha P. Johnson.
Finally, an early happy birthday wish to her.
With Marsha P. Johnson's birthday on August 24 on the horizon, my idea is to paint the cement curb bordering the sidewalk around the park — which forms a perfect triangular shape — a bright shade of pink so that a pink triangle form, and that the end result be named the Marsha P. Johnson Pink Triangle Curb.
Rainbow Flags at Christopher Park.Donna Aceto[/caption]
While I have not researched if my hunch that the curb is municipal property, it is most likely under the control of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation or the New York City Department of Transportation, and it most certainly is not federal land.
The Stonewall National Monument in the park is federally controlled only inside the wrought iron fence, as far as I know, so the curb is not under the domain of the National Park Service.
Should I be wrong and the curb is federal property, let's act up and paint it pink anyway!
Is there enough time to win support and approval from the necessary Greenwich Village, city government, and queer community constituencies to transform the current boring state of the curb into something beautiful on Aug. 24? Realistically, no, but I'd happy to be proved wrong.
If more time is needed to make this idea real, we could hold a press conference at the Stonewall National Monument and whip up support for the pink triangle curb proposal. But if by Aug. 24, approval is miraculously all in order, I would be proud to strap on my knee pads, grab a paint brush, and slap a coat of pink on the New York City curb for Marsha P. Johnson.
Finally, an early happy birthday wish to her. 
