Trump Administration Removes Pride Flag From Stonewall National Monument

The National Park Service removed a large rainbow Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village, New York.

“By Jonathan Allen NEW YORK, Feb 10 (Reuters) – U”

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The agency said the action followed a January memorandum and longstanding policy that limits flags flown on NPS-managed poles to the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized banners.

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Multiple outlets reported the agency framed the move as applying new Interior Department guidance clarifying that federal flagpoles are not public forums and that only certain non-agency flags may be displayed.

The removal occurred over the weekend of Feb. 7-10 and prompted immediate outcry from local officials and activists.

Those critics said the flag had been flown permanently since 2022 and emphasized that Stonewall is the national monument commemorating the 1969 uprising linked to the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Local elected officials, activists and advocacy groups reacted strongly.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the removal an 'act of erasure,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer labeled it 'deeply outrageous,' and state and city leaders vowed to re-raise the flag or stage protests.

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Multiple reports describe impromptu rallies that drew dozens to hundreds of people within hours, and organizers and lawmakers announced plans to return the flag to the federal pole in acts of protest or civil disobedience.

Many outlets placed the flag's removal in the context of previous changes at Stonewall and broader Trump administration policies affecting LGBTQ+ visibility.

“WEST VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) --Outrage is growing over the removal of the Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument at Christopher Park, which is located near the historic Stonewall Inn”

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Reporters and advocacy groups noted prior edits to the monument's NPS webpages removing references to 'transgender' and 'queer', earlier limits on which Pride variants could be displayed, and other federal moves concerning transgender people, framing the flag removal as part of a pattern.

Preservation groups such as the National Parks Conservation Association argued the Pride flag constitutes 'living history' at the site and should remain.

The National Park Service and the Interior Department described the memorandum as a clarification of longstanding policy rather than a targeted political act.

Agency statements reiterated that NPS-managed flagpoles are not intended as public forums and that exemptions exist mainly for explicitly historical or department-authorized displays.

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At the same time, the agency said Stonewall would continue its exhibits and programs but declined to provide detailed answers about the flag's removal, prompting skepticism from advocates and watchdogs who called for restoration and clearer explanations.

Cultural and advocacy responses extended beyond protests: celebrities and LGBTQ organizations amplified the outcry, preservation groups demanded reinstatement, and local plans were made to re-raise the flag in defiance.

“The Trump administration has stopped flying a rainbow flag at the Stonewall National Monument, angering activists who see the change as a symbolic swipe at the country’s first national monument to LGBTQ+ history (AP Video: Ted Shaffrey, Emily Wang Fujiyama) The Trump administration has stopped flying a rainbow flag on the pole, center, in the Stonewall National Monument, adjacent to the Stonewall Inn, background center, in New York, Tuesday, Feb”

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Coverage varies in scope - from celebrity posts (Out Magazine on Sarah Jessica Parker's Instagram video) to long-form editorials condemning erasure (Windy City Times) and reporting on coordinated political pressure (Gay City News, E&E News by POLITICO).

AP News

These perspectives together show a mix of immediate grassroots mobilization, institutional pushback, and calls for policy reversal.