Trump orders rainbow flag removed from Stonewall memorial
Stonewall ignites as protesters defy Trump’s order to remove Pride flags from the historic LGBTQ+ landmark.
By David Hudson
Defiant New York city officials and activists have vowed to restore a large rainbow flag to the Stonewall National Monument. The call to action followed the Tr*mp administration’s removal of “woke” symbols from National Parks. This included a rainbow flag at the Stonewall monument, in front of the Stonewall Inn.
The small square in front of the tavern became a national monument in 2016. It honors the historic Stonewall uprising of 1969, regarded by many as the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
On Monday, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who is gay, shared a photo of the bare flagpole at Stonewall. He also shared a memo sent January 21 from the Department of the Interior (DoI) to the National Park Service. It dictates that only the US flag, the DoI flag, and the PoW flag can fly at National Parks. The NPS subsequently removed the park’s rainbow flag.
To be clear, the Stonewall Inn and Stonewall monument are separate entities. The Stonewall Inn is a private business and continues to fly the rainbow flag. The owners of the Stonewall Inn have spoken out against the removal of the flag in the square. They promise to keep displaying the inn’s own flags.
Outrage grows
Outrage over the removal of the Stonewall monument’s flag has begun to snowball over the last 24 hours.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed outrage at the flag’s removal.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “First the Tr*mp Administration worked to erase transgender history from the Stonewall Monument and now they have secretly removed the pride flag — a shameful attempt to erase our LGBTQ history. I will not let this administration rollback the rights we fought so hard for.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James called it “despicable”.
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Senator Chuck Schumer (D) said, “The removal of the Pride Rainbow Flag from the Stonewall National Monument is a deeply outrageous action that must be reversed right now.”
Erasure
Newly-elected State Senator Erik Bottcher, who is gay, said, “This is a deliberate act of erasure. This is a cowardly attempt to rewrite history and intimidate our community. Stonewall is where we fought back, and we are not going backwards. We will not be erased, we will not be silenced, and the Pride flag will fly again.”
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Cathy Renna, communications director for the National LGBTQ Task Force, said, “They can take down a flag, but they can’t take down our history. The removal of the rainbow flag from the Stonewall National Monument is another reminder that efforts to chip away at LGBTQ+ visibility are happening in real time. What stands at Stonewall is more than a landmark; it’s sacred ground rooted in resistance, liberation, and the legacy of trans and queer trailblazers who changed the course of history.”
The Task Force organized a protest at the monument late yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday’s (02.10.26) protest at the removal of the main rainbow flag at the Stonewall Monument (Photo: Cathy Renna)
Members of the City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus have sent a joint letter to Jessica Bowron, the acting director of the National Park Service. It urges for the return of the flag.
Officials vow to raise flag again tomorrow
Erik Bottcher and Brad Hoylman-Sigal vow the flag will return to the Stonewall National Monument tomorrow (Thursday). A protest is scheduled for 4pm and it will include a flag raising.
“They tried to take it down. We’re raising it back up. “ said Bottcher. “Join us at the Stonewall National Monument to re-raise the Pride flag and send a clear message: our history will not be erased, and our pride is not up for debate.”
The removal of the rainbow flag follows other recent attempts by the administration to erase LGBTQ history. Last year, the Department of Defense renamed a Navy boat previously named in honor of Harvey Milk.
Last February, the National Park Service’s website also altered its description of the Stonewall Monument. It removed the words “transgender” and “queer” and amended “LGBT” to “LGB” or “LGBQ”.
Other sites overseen by the National Parks Service have also removed displays about indigenous people and climate changes.
“ said Bottcher. “Join us at the Stonewall National Monument to re-raise the Pride flag and send a clear message: our history will not be erased, and our pride is not up for debate.”
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