New York’s LGBTQ+ history commemorated in new Niagara Falls panel

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A new panel at Niagara Falls State Park honoring New York’s LGBTQ+ history was unveiled Friday near the spot where the state’s first legal gay marriage took place.

New York became the sixth state in the nation to legalize gay marriage in 2011. The Marriage Equality Act was enacted in June of that year and took effect in July.

The new interpretive panel on Goat Island includes historical moments such as the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the passing of the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act of 2002, and the passing of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, introduced in 2003 and finally passed in 2019.

Kitty and Cheryle Lambert-Rudd got married on Luna Island on July 24, 2011, the day the Marriage Equality Act took effect.

“People often don’t realize that significant historical events may have occurred in the spot where they are standing,” said President of Niagara Pride, Inc. Ronald Piaseczny. “That’s why our organization felt it was important to work with the NY State Parks to create a panel that honors the momentous achievements of Kitty and Cheryle Lambert-Rudd and the importance of not taking for granted rights, like the freedom to marry the person you love.”

See the panel above.

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Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University.

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