National Park Service Removes Pride Flag From Stonewall National Monument in New York City Amid Backlash

The National Park Service has removed a rainbow Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City, prompting widespread criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates and local officials who say the action undermines the historic significance of the site.

The Stonewall National Monument, located in Greenwich Village near the historic Stonewall Inn, commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising — a pivotal event widely credited with igniting the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The Pride flag had flown on a flagpole within the monument, symbolizing LGBTQ+ pride and history, since it was raised with federal approval.

Officials with the National Park Service said the removal was carried out under federal guidance that restricts flag displays on government-managed flagpoles to the U.S. flag, Department of the Interior flags, and other officially authorized banners. They described the move as consistency with longstanding federal policy.

The decision has drawn strong backlash from local political leaders and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal condemned the removal as a deliberate act of erasure, asserting that the Pride flag represents history, resistance, and community pride rooted at the very site it was removed from. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also expressed outrage, saying the flag’s removal will not silence the legacy of Stonewall.

Elected officials, including members of Congress and state leaders, have called for the Pride flag to be restored to the monument, emphasizing that it remains a symbol of LGBTQ+ heritage that should be honored rather than removed.

Despite the federal decision, smaller Pride flags continue to be displayed around the site, and community members are planning demonstrations to protest the removal and reaffirm the monument’s significance to LGBTQ+ history and civil rights.

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