Gay Liberation Monument Receives Makeover
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The monument commemorating the birth of the Gay Rights Movement received a makeover Friday, just in time for the Pride Parade.
"Gay Liberation" in Christopher Park got a hot wash, a shampoo and a new lacquer finish, courtesy of the Citywide Monuments Conservation Program.
Installed in 1992, the sculptures depict two couples: two women seated, and two men standing.
Workers said it wasn't intentional that they were cleaning the statues on the same day the same-sex marriage bill was due for a vote.
"That's probably entirely a coincidence — we do it for the pride, to have it look nice for the Pride Week,” said Anna Quinlavin of the Citywide Monuments Conservation Program.
“They are trying to make gay marriage look as good as it can be, and I think that's a beautiful thing," said an onlooker.
The sculptures sit across from the Stonewall Inn, where activists resisted a police raid on a gay bar in 1969, sparking the start of the Gay Rights Movement.