The National Park Service has taken down the rainbow Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument, a site recognized for its role in LGBTQ+ rights history. The flag had been displayed on a flagpole at Christopher Park, adjacent to the Stonewall Inn in New York City. According to the Interior Department, as reported by ABC7NY, the removal was in accordance with policies from the General Services Administration and the Department of the Interior, which permit only the U.S. flag and certain other flags authorized by Congress or the department to be flown on flagpoles managed by the National Park Service.
The Pride flag, introduced in 1978 with eight colors representing different aspects of LGBTQ+ life and community, is widely recognized as a symbol of the movement. Local officials opposed its removal, while the National Park Service stated that exhibits and programs at the Stonewall National Monument continue to highlight the site’s historical significance, and that the Pride flag remains displayed within interpretive features. The NPS has not addressed whether the recent removal is connected to former President Trump’s executive order. In the previous year, the Trump administration’s decision to remove the dedicated Pride flag at Stonewall prompted criticism, amid questions about whether the flagpole was on city or federal land. Activists later obtained authorization for the flag’s placement during the Biden administration.
The Stonewall National Monument is recognized for its historical significance as the site of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal event in the LGBTQ+ rights movement. The uprising followed a police raid on the Stonewall Inn and involved six days of clashes with gay men, women, transgender individuals, and others resisting systemic law enforcement targeting. In 2016, President Barack Obama designated the area as a national monument to preserve the memory of these events. In the previous year, the Trump administration removed references to transgender people from the monument’s website as part of broader policy actions related to gender.
In response to the flag’s removal, Cathy Renna, spokeswoman for the National LGBTQ Task Force, spoke to USA TODAY about the community’s concerns regarding the decision and its symbolic significance. Observers have noted that such actions underscore the ongoing importance of preserving LGBTQ+ history and symbols at sites like the Stonewall National Monument.
