Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Delivers Remarks at The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center Grand Opening Ceremony

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center grand opening ceremony.

VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.

AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available here

PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Hello everyone. Happy Pride! I knew I was in the right place. It was exactly two years ago we gathered here with this hope and a dream of being able to have a facility — the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center. We talked about it, we fought for it, we made sure it would happen. And two years later, my friends, we have made the magic happen. So, welcome to the grand opening.

And to be able to welcome our President, Joe Biden, to this occasion is a high honor for me. He'll be joining us shortly, but in the meantime, you're going to have incredible entertainment and all the people come here to celebrate this moment in history. We are making history, my friends, literally in this neighborhood. I just walked down the street, meeting the friendliest people in the world, having the best cup of coffee, and a man came up to me and he says, “I'm 85 years old. I was here on that night. I was 30 years old and I cannot believe today that in a place where there was such dissension and conflict and a wondering if anything's ever going to be normal again for people who are simply trying to gather with their friends — dance, celebrate; be human beings who love each other” — would they ever be able to have the rights that they were entitled to back at that time?

And he was so proud. He says he's considered the ambassador for Stonewall. He goes all over the world and says, “Yes, it all happened in the great State of New York. All the rights that matter in our history started here in New York” and I could not be prouder of that. Congratulations to everyone.

Thank you, Pride Live. Thank you to the National Park Service for making this Center become a reality, and it carries on, that jubilant spirit that defines all of us. I also want to say this: while we may take those rights for granted here in the State of New York, and I'll tell you, as long as I'm governor, they will be enshrined in our laws [...] And in fact, with great partners like our Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Tony Simone and Senator Brad Hoylman, and others who gathered — we literally, moments ago — signed into law legislation that ensures that those who have AIDS have all the support they need. We're going to continue that march toward progress.

But a little more of a fun note, we also are changing the street name of the Christopher Street subway stop to the Stonewall National Memorial Center.

So, whether you're a local resident and want to have that sense of pride when you take the subway, or you're from somewhere else and you look up and you see that sign and you reflect on what that meant — what it meant to the people of that time, but also what it means to the people of today. Because all of us, my friends, when there's assaults on LGBTQ+ rights all across America, we are the vanguard. We are the fighters. The torch has been passed to us as New Yorkers to honor those rights that were so hard fought for, and it's up to us to make sure that that torch glows even brighter before it's passed to the next generation. We are the ones who must stand up for our brothers and sisters and everyone and non-binary individuals who just want a chance to live free, to love free, and be who they are.

My friends, let's stand up and march together to carry on the fights of Stonewall. And it begins right here with this celebration. Thank you all for joining us. Have a great day. We'll see you at the parade on Sunday. Happy Pride, everybody. Happy Pride.