President Barack Obama has made a New York City bar the first national monument to honor gay rights.

Obama says the Stonewall Inn tells the story of the country's struggle for LGBT equality. His announcement came a week after thousands gathered outside the Inn to mourn the 49 victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting. The news also fell on the same day that New York state celebrates five years of same-sex marriage.

The Stonewall Inn and the surrounding area will now be nationally protected. According to the White House, the area would include Christopher Park and nearby streets and sidewalks.

In 1969, the Greenwich Village tavern was raided by police. The uprising that followed triggered what is widely viewed as the start of the gay rights movement.

"The Stonewall Uprising sparked a movement that we still feel to this day, and I am proud that we uphold that legacy by continuing to push for equal rights for all New Yorkers," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.

Last year, the Inn was declared a New York City landmark.