NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) -- Volunteers put up pride flags at Stonewall National Monument on Sunday to kick off Pride Month in New York City.
It's an annual tradition at the landmark park for LGBTQ rights, but it has been touched by controversy in recent years.
The park has been hit continuously with vandalism. Just last year, dozens of the pride, trans and progress flags were ripped off the fence, some snapped in half. There is a mobile security camera now in the area.
Even still, the monument holds great importance to the movement. The Stonewall riots of 1969 ignited the LGBTQ pride movement, and this was designated a national monument in 2016.
Pride Month lines up with a mayoral election in New York City this year. Candidates in the Democratic primary shared their ideas about how they'll advocate for the LGBTQ community at a forum this weekend.
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