Trump admin removes Pride flag from Stonewall monument in "deliberate act of erasure"https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/02/admin-removes-pride-flag-from-stonewall-monument-in-deliberate-act-of-erasure/ 🔗Molly Sprayregen (10 Feb 2026)
The National Park Service (NPS) has removed the rainbow flag from the Stonewall National Monument, saying it did so in adherence with "government-wide guidance."
The NPS confirmed the removal of the flag to Gay City News, explaining that "only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions."
"Any changes to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance," the statement continued. "Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site's historic significance through exhibits and programs."
The New York City monument is the first U.S. National Monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights, having been designated as such in 2016 by then-President Barack Obama. It then became tradition for the monument, located in a park across the street from the Stonewall Inn, to be adorned with various Pride flags, including the trans flag. Until Trump took office, NPS funded the installation of these flags.
Local queer leaders slammed the flag's removal in a joint statement. "This is a deliberate act of erasure," said Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D), state Senator Erik Bottcher (D), and former Assemblymember Deborah Glick (D). "The Pride Flag is history, resistance, and Pride born at Stonewall itself. Taking it down does not diminish our community. It exposes an administration afraid of visibility and truth. Our history will not be erased, and our Pride is not theirs to take down."
