New York City officials intend to raise a pride flag at the federal Stonewall monument in Manhattan on Thursday, following its removal by federal authorities. The action comes after the Trump administration issued guidance in January limiting flag displays at National Park Service sites. This sets the stage for a potential conflict at the site of the 1969 gay rights protests.
The Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan, New York City, marks the location of the 1969 protests that ignited the modern gay rights movement. These uprisings followed a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, leading to arrests and greater visibility for gay and lesbian communities nationwide.
Federal officials removed the pride flag from the monument quietly after the Trump administration's January guidance, which restricts flags at National Park Service-managed sites to the U.S. flag and those authorized by Congress or the department, with limited exceptions. The Department of the Interior confirmed the removal in a statement, noting that changes ensure consistency with government-wide policy from the General Services Administration and Interior direction.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal announced that he and other local politicians plan to reraise the flag on federal land on Thursday. In an interview, he stated, “I think it’s important that we speak out and stand up for the community, frankly, just as our forebearers, who exhibited much more courage back in 1969. This is not a moment for our community to stand by idly as attempts to undermine our history are put forward by Trump and the federal administration.” Hoylman-Sigal described the removal as “another outrage by the Trump administration directed at the LGBTQ community, whether it’s transgender youth or immigrants or queer people in general.”
The Stonewall Inn itself remains privately owned, as does the visitor’s center, where pride flags continue to fly. Brandon Wolf, national press secretary at the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement, “We will keep showing up at Stonewall, for each other, and being out and proud. There’s nothing the White House can do about that.”
This move aligns with other Trump administration actions at national parks, including the removal of slavery exhibits at Philadelphia's Liberty Bell and Independence Hall sites in January, and plans announced last August to reinstate a statue of Confederate general Albert Pike in Washington. Neither the Department of the Interior nor the National Park Service immediately commented on the local officials' plans.
