New York leaders, advocates re-raise Stonewall pride flag after Trump admin removal
The site became the first federal monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights in 2016.
A group of New York politicians, city leaders and LGBTQ+ advocates gathered at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City on Thursday afternoon, where lawmakers re-raised the pride flag after the National Park Service removed it from federal grounds last weekend.
The re-raising of the flag took place amid chants of “raise our flag." The rainbow flag was raised to fly alongside the American flag that NPS had replaced it with.
Lawmakers initially raised the rainbow flag on a separate flagpole from the one where it flew before being removed. After lawmakers left the site, however, LGBTQ+ advocates appeared dissatisfied and rehung the pride flag on the original NPS flagpole, alongside the American flag.
NPS is overseen by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Asked about the plan to re-raise the flag, the department criticized the city's handling of the recent winter storm in a statement to ABC News, calling efforts to restore the flag a "political stunt" and pointing to official guidance.
"Today's political pageantry shows how utterly incompetent and misaligned the New York City officials are with the problems their city is facing," the statement said.
"All government agencies follow longstanding federal flag policy that has been in place for decades," the statement continued. "Recent adjustments to flag displays at the monument were made to ensure consistency with federal guidance. Stonewall National Monument remains committed to preserving and interpreting the history and significance of this site through its exhibits, programs, and educational initiatives."
Earlier in the day, New York politicians and leaders gathered at the Stonewall National Monument, a federal site honoring the LGBTQ movement, on Thursday morning and called on NPS to restore the flag. It became the first rainbow flag to fly on federally-funded land after it was permanently installed by NPS in 2021, during the Biden administration.
"We sent a letter to the National Park Service to demand the return of the flag. Now, if you think about it, the fact that we even need to be here today is outrageous," New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin said on Thursday morning amid chants of "return the flag!"
"It's unconscionable. It's unacceptable. This is an effort by the Trump administration to erase the LGBTQ community, and we will not stand for it," she added.
The Trump administration did not comment when asked if re-raising the flag violates federal law and if NPS plans to beef up security ahead of the rally this afternoon.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who reflected on the significance of the pride flag in a Tuesday interview on ABC News Live Prime, vowed on Thursday morning that the flag will be re-raised on the grounds of the Stonewall Monument that afternoon.
"We speak united in that Donald Trump and his minions in Washington cannot and will not erase us. Am I right about that?" Hoylman-Sigal said. "So today, so today, at 4 p.m. we will be gathering again here, and I hope many of you will join us, and we will re-raise our pride flag in the memory of those whose shoulders we stand on, who fought for LGBTQ equality and who point the direction forward for generations of queer Americans."
The NPS communications office confirmed the removal of the rainbow flag in a statement to ABC News on Tuesday morning. It said that, under federal guidance, "only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions."
"Any changes to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance. Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site's historic significance through exhibits and programs," the statement continued.
The flag's removal comes after President Donald Trump directed Interior Sec. Doug Burgum in a March 2025 executive order to remove "divisive" and "anti-American" content from museums and national parks. Asked if the removal was in response to Trump's order, NPS did not comment.
New York State Sen. Erik Bottcher said during the press conference on Thursday morning that NPS installed an American flag in place of the Stonewall pride flag.
"What they're trying to do is set us up to take down the American flag and pit the rainbow flag against the American flag," Bottcher said. "We're not going to do that because the rainbow flag is completely compatible with the American flag, because our movement, the LGBTQ rights movement, is an American civil rights movement."
Stonewall National Monument was designated a national monument by President Barack Obama in June 2016, becoming the first federal monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights.
It is located near the Stonewall Inn, a historic gay bar in the neighborhood that was a safe haven for many in the LGBTQ+ community in the 1960s. The bar was violently raided by the NYPD in 1969, leading to riots that became known as the Stonewall Uprising, which is credited with kickstarting the modern LGBTQ+ movement. The NYPD publicly apologized for the raid in 2019.
"The flag is more than a piece of cloth. It's a symbol of how diverse we are, the colors stand for joy and harmony," New York Assemblyman Tony Simone said on Thursday morning. "They want to erase us. We're not going anywhere. We will grow in numbers. Get off your couches. We need to rise up in this nation ... this is our America too."
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