The Trump administration has agreed to resume flying the rainbow Pride flag on a federal flagpole at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City. This decision reverses the removal of the banner from the nation’s first monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history, which occurred on February 9.
Government officials disclosed the agreement in court documents while settling a lawsuit brought by advocacy and historic preservation groups. A judge has approved the settlement, confirming the Interior Department and National Park Service’s commitment to maintaining the Pride flag at the site.
Details of the Flag Arrangement
The 7.7-acre park will feature three flags on its flagpole within a week: the U.S. flag at the top, followed by the 3-foot-by-5-foot Pride flag, and the National Park Service flag below, in line with U.S. flag code. The Pride flag will remain in place except for maintenance or practical reasons.
The monument also displays a large Pride flag on a city-controlled pole and smaller flags along a surrounding fence, directly across from the Stonewall Inn—the site of the 1969 police raid that ignited the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. These additional flags were not affected by the earlier removal.
Reactions from Leaders and Activists
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the first openly gay person elected to the position, celebrated the outcome on X. “We fought the Trump administration and won,” he wrote. “We as an LGBTQ community celebrate the legal climb-down by the gutless Trump Administration on their contemptuous attempt to erase queer people from American history at Stonewall.” Hoylman-Sigal helped organize a protest flag-raising after the removal.
New York City Council Member Zohran Mamdani described the reversal as “a victory for the LGBTQ+ community and for our entire city” and “a reminder that New Yorkers won’t let our history be rewritten.”
Charley Beal, president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation—which honors the Pride flag’s creator—stated, “Stonewall is sacred ground in the fight for LGBTQ+ liberation, and this resolution helps ensure that the Rainbow Flag will continue to fly there, where it belongs.” The foundation was among the groups that filed the lawsuit.
Activists Michael Petrelis and Steven Love Menendez, who campaigned for the Pride flag’s installation, expressed satisfaction with the agreement but noted the absence of more inclusive variants like the Progress Pride flag. “I look forward to the day when the flag display can be restored to its original intent that allows all iterations of LGBTQ+ flags to fly,” Menendez said. “Until then at least we have the original rainbow flag flying to serve as a beacon of light.”
Background and Policy Context
Democratic President Barack Obama established the Stonewall National Monument in 2016. Activists pushed for years to fly the Pride flag daily at the park service-managed site, leading to its installation in 2022 under President Joe Biden. Officials at the time highlighted it as a commitment to sharing “the complex and diverse histories of all Americans.”
The February removal followed a January 21 memo restricting flag displays to U.S., Interior Department, and POW/MIA flags, with limited exemptions for historical context. The National Park Service maintains its dedication to preserving the site’s history through exhibits and programs.
Since returning to office, the Trump administration has reviewed diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at national parks, museums, and landmarks, targeting materials deemed “divisive or partisan” or those that “inappropriately disparage Americans,” including changes to Stonewall’s website and materials.
