On Friday afternoon, CNN hosts Boris Sanchez and Brianna Keilar devoted a segment to letting gay-rights activist and fundraiser Stacy Lentz complain about the Donald Trump administration removing the word "transgender" from gay-related government websites. There was a lot of talk about getting "erased," when CNN airs one-sided segments that erase the conservative side of the debate.
After a clip of gay rights protesters chanting in New York, co-host Brianna Keilar set things up by recalling that the National Park Service has replaced "LGBTQ+" with "LGB" on its websites, including the site for the Stonewall National Monument which commemorates gay rights.
Co-host Boris Sanchez jumped in to recount that the Stonewall Inn had been the site of a critical gay rights protest in 1969 after the raid of a gay bar, and then brought aboard the co-owner of Stonewall, Stacy Lentz, to react to the Trump administration on the issue. The CNN host began with an open-ended softball question: "I wonder what you make of the removal of 'transgender' and 'queer' from this website? What's the significance?"
Lentz lamented that she is not "shocked" by the development because of President Trump's other actions, and called the move "outlandish" as she responded:
LENTZ: I would like to say I'm -- I'm really, really shocked, but I'm not. We've seen this current administration not only just campaign on attacking trans and nonbinary folks, but then also in addition to really going after them and trying to erase them from public life. But it was still very painful at the birthplace of the LGBTQ rights movement to see them try to erase trans folks from queer history. We would not be sitting where we are today at the Stonewall Inn if it wasn't for trans people in 1969 who stood up with the rest of the community. So it's outlandish that they think they can erase an entire part of our community from LGBTQ history which is American history.
Keilar followed up with another softball, asking Lentz how she planned to react, leading Lentz to call for more action from Democrats. She asked "How do you plan to fight this?"
LENTZ: So right now we've organized a massive protest today, in addition to we will continue to protest, speak up, and speak out, and really call on Democratic leaders to really not be silent on this issue. We really want to see our Democratic leaders step up and fight for us. We cannot allow an entire group of our population to be completely erased not just from public life but from history. But they're really going after them on all levels.
Sanchez followed up by teeing his liberal guest up to theorize about what other moves the Trump administration might make: "When you talk about these folks being targeted at all levels, are there any other programs or monuments that you think could be affected?"
Lentz went on to call it "appalling" that President Trump had declared that there are just two genders:
...we're seeing them honestly being, you know, erased from every kind of government program, right? I mean, we've seen that with birth certificates not having gender, X markers on passports and things of that nature. So they really have been scrubbed from all government websites.
And, again, once we saw President Trump come out during inauguration and say there's only two genders, we can't really be surprised. But to say it's appalling is certainly an understatement, and so we will organize as the LGBTQ+ community and ask all our allies to organize with us as we stand up and fight back against the erasure of American people.
By the time the liberal activist had wrapped up by complaining a second time that she thought the Trump administration's actions were "outlandish," the CNN hosts had still given no pushback and simply concluded the free publicity for their guest's liberal cause.
Transcript follows:
CNN News Central
February 14, 2025
2:27 p.m. Eastern
CLIP OF PROTESTERS: -- will not erase us! They will not erase us!
BRIANNA KEILAR: Demonstrators -- demonstrators sounding off at the Stonewall National Monument in New York today after references to transgender and queer people were scrubbed from the National Park Service website. The park service has also shortened the phrase "LGBTQ+" to simply "LGB" on the Stonewall webpage.
BORIS SANCHEZ: The Stonewall monument honors the start of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement which began after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a Greenwich Village gay bar, back in 1969. The raid sparked days of protests, cementing Stonewall as a symbol of resistance for those within the gay, lesbian and transgender community. Stacy Lentz is the co-owner of the Stonewall Inn and the CEO of the Stonewall Gives Back Initiative, and she joins us live now. Stacy, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us. I wonder what you make of the removal of "transgender" and "queer" from this website? What's the significance?
STACY LENTZ, STONEWALL: Yeah, I mean, I would like to say I'm -- I'm really, really shocked, but I'm not. We've seen this current administration not only just campaign on attacking trans and nonbinary folks, but then also in addition to really going after them and trying to erase them from public life. But it was still very painful at the birthplace of the LGBTQ rights movement to see them try to erase trans folks from queer history. We would not be sitting where we are today at the Stonewall Inn if it wasn't for trans people in 1969 who stood up with the rest of the community. So it's outlandish that they think they can erase an entire part of our community from LGBTQ history which is American history.
KEILAR: And you say you're going to fight this. How do you plan to fight this?
LENTZ: Yeah. So right now we've organized a massive protest today, in addition to we will continue to protest, speak up, and speak out, and really call on Democratic leaders to really not be silent on this issue. We really want to see our Democratic leaders step up and fight for us. We cannot allow an entire group of our population to be completely erased not just from public life but from history. But they're really going after them on all levels. So we've got to make sure that everybody, including allies, everybody fighting for trans and nonbinary folks right now.
SANCHEZ: When you talk about these folks being targeted at all levels, are there any other programs or monuments that you think could be effected?
LENTZ: Yeah, well, we're seeing them honestly being, you know, erased from every kind of government program, right? I mean, we've seen that with birth certificates not having gender, X markers on passports and things of that nature. So they really have been scrubbed from all government websites. And, again, once we saw President Trump come out during inauguration and say there's only two genders, we can't really be surprised. But to say it's appalling is certainly an understatement, and so we will organize as the LGBTQ+ community and ask all our allies to organize with us as we stand up and fight back against the erasure of American people.
KEILAR: What's the mood right now? It's not good obviously, but what are you hearing? What are the concerns in the community?
LENTZ: Yeah, I think the concerns are that people are upset -- people are devastated. I think that this takes a very personal note because it is -- it is Stonewall. Stonewall is such a global symbol to our community that, you know, it's outrageous that a government entity could come into what we consider our home and try to erase a group of people that had been existing for thousands of years. Trans people exist -- they've always existed -- and so for the government to come into Stonewall of all places and try to scrub them not just from the website but from existing -- is really just insanity to us.
SANCHEZ: Stacy Lentz, thanks so much for sharing your point of view. We appreciate it.
