US monument status won't guarantee Stonewall Inn's future

NEW YORK (AP) — The area surrounding the Stonewall Inn is poised to become the first national monument dedicated to gay rights, but that doesn't necessarily mean the property will always be a bar.

There's actually nothing in the national monument designation or even the city's landmark law to prevent New York's most famous gay bar from someday becoming a coffee shop, a frozen yogurt joint or anything else.

President Barack Obama is expected to move quickly to greenlight the monument, two people familiar with the administration's plans told The Associated Press.

Nadler said the spot is worth recognizing because it would "tell the story of the United States," as do park sites in Seneca Falls, New York, dedicated to the women's rights movement, and Selma, Alabama, named for the civil rights movement.

What began as a police raid escalated into days of street demonstrations that triggered an activist movement and prompted gay New Yorkers to stop hiding their identities and speak out publicly.