A protest took place Tuesday afternoon at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City after the Trump administration removed the LGBTQ+ Pride flag from the site. The New York City Council is calling on the National Park Service to restore the Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument, escalating tensions over changes at one of LGBTQ+ history’s most sacred sites.
In a letter led by Council Speaker Julie Menin, members argued that removing the flag from Christopher Park severs the monument from a symbol central to its meaning. The letter read, “The events that took place there catalyzed a global movement for dignity, equality, and freedom — guiding principles upon which our nation was founded. The Pride flag has long flown as a symbol of that struggle and of the resilience of a community that continues to fight for its basic rights.” Across the street, the Stonewall Inn continued to fly Pride flags, as organizers planned a protest Tuesday evening.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the move, saying, “New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and no act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history.” Senator Chuck Schumer called the decision deeply outrageous, while Representative Mark Takano described it as part of a broader effort to erase every example of support for the queer community. The Trump administration says the change follows longstanding Interior Department rules limiting which flags may fly on NPS-managed poles. But the community and advocates counter that at Stonewall, the Pride flag is not a decoration, but living history.
