Flags & Rainbow Pride Return to Stonewall After Trump Removal

In the days after the Trump administration’s order that an LGBTQ+ be flag removed from the Stonewall National Monument, thousands of New Yorkers gathered at the historic locale in support of allowing the rainbow flag symbolizing gay pride and LBGTQ+ rights to fly on the main flagpole in Christopher Park.

The pride flag quitely was taken down over the weekend of February 7, following a January 21 memorandum from Trump’s US Department of the Interior. The directive restricts flags flown on National Park Service (NPS) and only allows the US flag, Department of the Interior flag, and the POW/MIA flag to fly. That moved angered many LGBTQ+ supporters and most of New York’s politicians were rallying to their side.

Despite the public outcry, the National Parks Service was unyielding. “The policy governing flag displays on federal property has been in place for decades,” the statement said, adding, “Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site’s historic significance through exhibits and programs.”

Manhattan Borough President, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, called the removal a “deeply personal” affront and a message that undermines the community’s legacy. “I really think this is about standing up for the future of the LGBTQ community, just as those Stonewall veterans back in 1969 did the same,” said the Beep. Mayor Mamdani also spoke on behalf of the community, stating,” I am outraged by the removal of the Rainbow Pride Flag. New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and no act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history.”

The Stonewall National Monument, designated by President Barack Obama in 2016, commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in which the NYPD tried to shut down the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar and for the first time, many patrons fought back. The revolt stands as a pivotal event in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Many view the flag’s removal as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to erase LGBTQ+ history from federal sites, including prior changes to the monument’s website that removed references to transgender individuals.

Starting February 10, protests filled Christopher Park with hundreds of members from the community waving rainbow banners and bearing signs with slogans including: “Bring Back our Flags!”.

The flag was officially re-raised on February 12 and drew thousands from across the city. City Council Speaker Julie Menin called the flag’s removal by the Trump administration “a deliberate and cowardly attempt to erase the history of the LGBTQ+ movement.”

Paying Homage to History

In the ensuing week, the monument was surged by a wave of visitors and tourists who are displaying their support towards the flag’s return. Thomas Knapp and Alfred Martin, a couple who have been together for 27 years and married for 16, shared their reaction in a conversation with Straus News at the site on February 13. “I’m glad that it’s back up,” Knapp said emphatically. Martin chimed in on the topic of resistance: “We are currently dealing with a regime of bullies. And when you punch bullies in the nose is usually when they back off.”

Martin further described the importance of returning the flag as “a symbolic battle, and I think that right now, we’re battling over symbols, and we’re battling over meaning.” The couple expressed hope amid the current situation, noting it was “heartening to see the ways that those who believe in what actually is supposed to be the promise of America, which is inclusion... this is actually about love.”

In response to the re-raising, a Department of Interior spokesperson called the flag re-raising “political pageantry” and issued a sharp criticism of New York City officials saying they should be addressing other problems in the city and not devoting time to the flag controversy.

“Hundreds of families in New York City went without power during this year’s severe cold weather, people are being found dead on the streets, and trash has piled up so high it towers over city residents,” the Department of Interior statement said. “This is Mayor Mamdani, Senator Schumer and the congressional delegation’s New York City. It would be a better use of their time to get the trash buildup off city streets, ensure there are no more avoidable deaths, and work to keep the power on for the people of New York City. This political pageantry shows how utterly incompetent and misaligned the New York City officials and New York’s congressional representatives are with the problems their city is facing.”

In a move aimed at permanently protecting the rainbow flag from removal at the Stonewall National Monument and potentially other federal sites, Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, announced plans on Feb 15. 2026 to introduce legislation designating the Pride flag as a congressionally authorized symbol.

The bill, to be sponsored in the House by Rep. Dan Goldman would grant the Pride flag official congressional status similar to flags like the U.S. flag, allowing it to fly without interference from executive directives restricting displays on National Park Service property. Schumer emphasized that the Pride flag is “not a decoration” and instead a vital symbol to the community, vowing that the legislation would ensure it remains a permanent fixture at Stonewall.

He also said he is exploring the idea of having the federal government turn over the vest pocket park on Christopher Street across from the historic Inn back to the NYC Parks Department.