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Yankees add LGBTQ plaque to Monument Park

By Alex Butler
The New York Yankees added a plaque in Monument Park commemorating the historic Stonewall Inn Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. Yankee players CC Sabathia (L), Dellin Betances (R) and general manager Brian Cashman (far right) attended the ceremony. Photo courtesy of the New York Yankees
The New York Yankees added a plaque in Monument Park commemorating the historic Stonewall Inn Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. Yankee players CC Sabathia (L), Dellin Betances (R) and general manager Brian Cashman (far right) attended the ceremony. Photo courtesy of the New York Yankees

June 26 (UPI) -- The New York Yankees have added an LGBTQ plaque to Monument Park, alongside their tributes to franchise legends and Jackie Robinson.

The team unveiled the plaque Tuesday to commemorate the Stonewall Inn uprising. The 1969 series of events sparked a groundbreaking rebellion for the gay rights movement. The Stonewall Inn in New York City's Greenwich Village is considered to be the birthplace of the movement.

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"They've gone beyond a Pride Night," Stonewall Inn owner Stacy Lentz told the New York Daily News. "They understand that having a permanent fixture when fans come here, LGBTQ fans are going to feel safe and welcome."

Members of the New York Police Department Gay Officers Action League presented the flags before Tuesday's game. GOAL addresses the needs, issues and concerns of gay and lesbian law enforcement personnel. The OneUp musical duo, couple Adam Bastien and Jerome Bell, sang the national anthem.

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LGBTQ community liaison at New York City schools Jared Fox and Athlete Ally executive director and founder Hudson Taylor presented the lineup cards. Athlete Ally's mission is to end homophobia and transphobia in sports and to activate the athletic community to champion LGBTQ equality.

New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson threw out the first pitch before the contest. Johnson made history as the first openly gay and HIV-positive man to hold his position.

"I am one of five openly LGBT members of New York City Council out of 51 and am the Speaker of the body and the only openly HIV-positive official in the state of New York," Johnson told The Daily Beast earlier this month.

"For me, none of that would be possible -- coming out at 16, coming to New York City at 19, running for office at 30, being Speaker at 35 -- without the activists, advocates and allies who stood up that night in 1969 and said, 'Enough is enough. We're sick of being oppressed and marginalized and discriminated against.'"

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The Yankees also announced the Stonewall Scholars Initiative on Tuesday. The Steinbrenner family will provide a total of $50,000 in college scholarships to five New York City public high school graduating seniors, one from each of the five boroughs, as part of the initiative.

"Getting to know those kids in those interviews were blow-away moments," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told MLB.com. "Talk about the talent, the passion, what they're going to do moving forward with the scholarship they earned -- I look forward to seeing the difference they make in life. They're special people, and it was amazing."

"Even the ones that didn't cross the finish line, the stories, the people behind the stories and the upside that they have is truly incredible. So, it's nice that they're here on the field at Yankee Stadium, it's outstanding. But if you had a chance to get to know them -- wow, they are really superior individuals."

Staten Island's Ashley Farrell, Queens' Hugh Goldstein, Manhattan's Alex Rosado, the Bronx's Francheska Colon and an anonymous Brooklyn student will receive the scholarships.

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