I am so tired of homophobia. 

It is an obvious sentiment, yet it is one that does not seem to get any better with passing time. In fact, it only gets worse. 

On Feb. 9, the National Park Service removed the historical rainbow flag from Christopher Park, where the Stonewall National Monument is located. 

Christopher Park is across the street from The Stonewall Inn, which is credited as the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement. 

On June 28, 1969, the police raided The Stonewall Inn, which was a regular occurrence for the bar, as it was illegal to serve gay people alcohol at the time, according to The Stonewall Inn’s website. This raid turned into a riot, which was the catalyst for a series of protests that became the gay rights movement. 

This one night in history started a chain reaction — one that led to the celebration of Pride every June and the rights that the LGBTQIA+ community now has. 

To say that the removal of the pride flag from this space is disrespectful may just be the understatement of the century. 

The flag was removed because of a memo sent out by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which forbade any flags that are not United States flags or flags of the DOI from being displayed in spaces maintained and operated by the National Park Service. This includes Christopher Park. 

When I first came across this news, I could not put into words how I felt. Angry? Frustrated? Devastated? The conclusion I came to was that I am simply not surprised by this. This is far from the first attack the Trump administration has made against the LGBTQIA+ community. From banning transgender people from the military to wiping out medical protection for queer people, it really seems like the community just cannot get a break. 

Amidst all of this, all I can really say is how tired I am. I am tired of opening my phone to see another attack against my community, my family, my friends.

I am tired of acts of blatant homophobia and transphobia. It truly feels like all the progress that has been made in the last 50 years is going completely down the drain. Every day feels like a battle, and not one that we are winning. 

I try to hang on to what little hope I have. I hang on to the silver lining that is the protests that broke out after the flag’s removal. 

I try to find consolation in the Trump administration being sued by queer activists. I want all of this to be my inspiration, to be my call to fight. 

But above all else, I feel utterly hopeless. Any bright side is overshadowed by the fact that we are moving backward as a country. This is not a new battle. It is a fight we already won, until this bigoted administration decided to attack once again. 

I wish I had something hopeful to say. I wish there were a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I wish I was not worrying over the possibility that Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage, could be overturned. 

The Stonewall Inn released a statement on its Instagram. The last paragraph says, “That is why our history will never be erased — and at the Stonewall Inn, all flags representing our community will always continue to fly.” 

I wish I could bring myself to believe this, but my faith in humanity went down with that flag. 

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