The Trump administration has agreed to officially restore the Pride flag that was removed from the Stonewall National Monument in New York’s Greenwich Village.
The move marks a reversal by the Trump administration, which had the flag removed back in February. It comes on the heels of a lawsuit brought by several nonprofit groups against Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the National Park Service and others. The agreement to restore the flag settles the lawsuit.
The National Park Service said it removed the flag under guidance from the Department of Interior, which had said non-agency flags could not be officially displayed on flagpoles managed by the National Park Service.
The court agreement says it will no longer be subject to the political whims of whoever is in power.
“The whole reason why the flag belongs at Stonewall is because it is such a big part of the history of the LGBTQ community and the struggle for equality. Stonewall itself is obviously such a part of that history and all along what we asserted was that the flag itself was a representation of that history,” attorney Alexander Kristofcak said.
Advocates say the ruling could have a national impact at other places where the Trump administration has sought to combat diversity initiatives. For example, the Trump administration removed an exhibit on George Washington’s ownership of slaves from Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.
Outcry after flag was removed
The removal sparked a large outcry, with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling it “an act of erasure” and Gov. Kathy Hochul calling it “a shameful attempt to erase our LGBTQ history.”
The flag was defiantly re-raised days later by elected officials and New Yorkers, but the move was not sanctioned by the federal government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer went on to push for legislation to protect the Pride flag from being removed in the future, calling the effort to remove it in the first place “a deeply outrageous action.”
The deal announced Monday calls for the flag to be restored in official capacity within seven days.
Schumer hailed the settlement, saying the Trump administration was “forced to settle and heed our demands.”
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said he’s “thrilled … the Trump administration has blinked and backed down from its contemptuous attempt to erase American history.”
“This is our history”
There was joy, and a sigh of relief, as the federal government reached the agreement to allow the Pride flag to fly in perpetuity at the Stonewall National Monument. The agreement says that the flag cannot be removed, except for normal maintenance purposes.
“LGBTQ people are part of the fabric of society and the history of America. Our contributions cannot be erased simply because the administration wants to exercise their own bias,” Elisa Crespo of the Stonewall Community Foundation said.
“When I first moved to New York City over 30 years ago, this was literally the first place I visited. People come from all over the state, all over world, to Stonewall. And to think that the Pride flag would be removed by the President of the United States was an abomination,” Hoylman-Sigal said.
“I’ve been out for almost 20 years,” Elizabeth Inoza said. “This is where we knew that I was not alone … this is our space. This is our history, and we should not allow our history to be denied or erased.”
“This flag is such a symbol of hope, of freedom, of gay rights, and the decision to take it down was appalling,” Lachlan Cartwright said. “I’m glad, you know, common sense has prevailed, because Stonewall is such an iconic destination.”
History of the Stonewall National Monument
The Stonewall National Monument was designated a national monument in 2016, the first in the nation dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights and history, commemorating the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement following police raids at the Stonewall Inn in 1969.
In February of 2025, references to transgender and queer people were removed from the monument following an executive order President Trump signed on his first day in office. That executive ordered called for the federal government to define sex as only male or female. The letters T and Q were also removed from the LGBTQ acronym on the monument’s website, replaced with “LGB rights movement” and “LGB civil rights.”
