(CNN) This week, the rainbow LGBTQ pride flag flew over New York's state Capitol for the first time in history.
The flag was raised in conjunction with the opening of a Pride Month exhibit, "Equality Will Never Be Silent," which is set up in the Capitol building in Albany and will remain open through the summer.
"New York is home to trailblazing leaders in the LGBTQ rights movement who broke down barriers and never stopped fighting for full equality," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. "This exhibit celebrates and honors these extraordinarily brave and talented people -- and New York will always be grateful to them."
New York City was arguably the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The Stonewall Uprising, which took place 50 years ago this month, began at the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan and mushroomed into six days of citywide protests against the criminalization of homosexual activity. That event is the reason Pride Month is observed in June.