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Closing time for Stonewall Inn? Don't bet on it. It has historical protection.

The Stonewall Inn isn't just another bar. It's the birthplace of a global movement toward equality.

It may look like just another old pub in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, but the Stonewall Inn is far from your average watering hole.

You'll probably spot a rainbow flag billowing outside its door.

"So what?" you might ask. "This is New York. There are plenty of rainbow flags billowing outside plenty of doors."


Many of those flags may not be flying today if it hadn't been for the Stonewall Inn, though.

Image via Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images.

The historic bar is what New York City councilman Corey Johnson considers to be a "birthplace of a global movement" toward LGBTQ rights. And he's definitely not the only one.

On June 23, 2015, NYC announced the Stonewall Inn as a new city landmark.

It's the first time in city history a site has been recognized as such because of its LGBTQ roots.


Image via Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images.

And almost exactly one year later, on June 24, 2016, President Obama announced the Stonewall Inn would be America's first national monument in recognition of LGBTQ equality.

The White House said the designation will create the nation's first National Park Service unit committed to highlighting the history of LGBTQ Americans.

Photo by Monika Graff/Getty Images.

The news comes at a pivotal moment in LGBTQ history. In just a few days, the U.S. will be celebrating the one-year anniversary of federal marriage equality. But the queer community will be celebrating with heavy hearts, as the worst mass shooting in American history targeted an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, Florida, earlier this month.

A big symbolic step forward couldn't have come at a better time.

Many advocates point to June 28, 1969, as a big turning point for LGBTQ folks fighting for equality in the U.S.

For the first time, Stonewall patrons — led largely by trans women of color — stood up against police harassment of their community (which had become a regular occurrence). There were arrests, scuffles, and lots of curious onlookers.

That night spurred even more protests. And in the days that followed the initial rebellion, hundreds of supporters gathered in Greenwich Village, launching what many consider to be the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement.

Today, the bar remains a hot spot in the ongoing fight for equality.


A married couple celebrates the end of the Defense of Marriage Act near the Stonewall Inn in 2013. Image via Mario Tama/Getty Images.


Advocates rally against hate crimes toward the LGBTQ community outside the Stonewall Inn in 2010. Image via Yana Paskova/Getty Images.

Paradegoers kiss in New York City's Gay Pride March in 2012. Image via Michael Nagle/Getty Images.

We've come a long way on LGBTQ rights since the 1960s, thanks to those original Stonewall protesters.

I mean, think about it: Did anyone believe national marriage equality could be a reality, even just a few decades ago?


America's view on LGBTQ people has evolved a ton since those Stonewall riots. According to a Gallup poll from May, a whopping 60% of Americans are in support of marriage equality — up from just 27% in 1996!

If there is some big gay agenda in the works, it's definitely succeeding. And I am SO here for that.

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

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It's incredible what a double-sided magnet can do.


A new trend in treasure hunting called magnet fishing has blown up over the past two years, evidenced by an explosion of YouTube channels covering the hobby. Magnet fishing is a pretty simple activity. Hobbyists attach high-powered magnets to strong ropes, drop them into waterways and see what they attract.

The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.


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Pop Culture

Woman was mocked online for calling an $80 purse a 'luxury item.' Her response went viral.

"I'm so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

@zohtaco/TikTok

Zoe Gabriel, showing off her new purse from Charles & Keith

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

In January 2023, Singapore-based Zoe Gabriel was on the receiving end of this particular flavor of mockery when she posted a TikTok about a purse from local retail brand Charles & Keith—a gift bought for her by her father.

In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

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Ring doorbell video captures what it's like to be the default parent.

Kids, man. I'm not sure of the scientific way audacity is distributed, but kids have a lot of it and somehow make it cute. That audacity overload is especially interesting when you're the default parent—you know, the parent kids go to for literally everything as if there's not another fully capable adult in the house. Chances are if your children haven't sought you out while you were taking a shower so you could open up a pack of fruit snacks, then you're not the default parental unit.

One parent captured exactly what it's like to be the default parent and shared it to TikTok, where the video has over 4 million views. Toniann Marchese went on a quick grocery run and *gasp* did not inform her children. Don't you fret, they're modern kids who know how to use modern means to get much-needed answers when mom is nowhere to be found. They went outside and rang the doorbell.

Back when we were children, this would've done nothing but make the dogs bark, but for Marchese's kids, who are 3 and 6 years old, it's as good as a phone call.

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'American Idol' contestant has perfect response to Katy Perry's 'mom-shaming' joke

The 25-year-old used the moment to stand up for moms everywhere.

@sarabethliebe/TikTok

"Keep loving your babies."

You might recall us singing the praises of Sara Beth, the exuberant young mom with major vocal chops dubbed the “Accidental American Idol.”

During Sara Beth’s initial audition for the show, judge Katy Perry made a joke that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

Before Sara Beth even began to sing, the 25-year-old revealed that she had three children, which prompted Katy Perry to dramatically stand up from her seat and feign shock. When Sara Beth, all smiles, said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out,” Perry retorted, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”

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YouTube creator Steve Mould shows us what echo looks like through an acoustic camera.

It’s bizarre to think about seeing sound, but nowadays we can do just that. If you haven’t seen an acoustic camera before, that’s because they’re mainly used for industrial purposes, but they’ve been available commercially from gfai tech since 2001.

YouTuber Steve Mould, who has a science channel with over 2.1 million subscribers, took the complicated concept of the acoustic camera and made it easy to understand in his latest video, “Acoustic cameras can SEE sound.”

In the video, Mould explains how an acoustic camera is much like your smartphone's video recorder. But it also creates visual representations of sound emanating from where it’s generated within the video.

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