Feb. 10 (UPI) — The National Park Service removed a Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City.
The monument is in Greenwich Village, and it commemorates the Stonewall Inn, a Manhattan gay bar that was the epicenter of the 1969 Stonewall riots. The Stonewall uprising kicked off a new battle for gay rights.
Former President Barack Obama made Christopher Park, across the street from the bar, a national monument in 2016. The NPS has flown Pride flags since it became a monument.
A spokesperson for the parks service cited new rules requiring that “only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions,” the spokesperson told NBC News. “Any changes to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance. Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site’s historic significance through exhibits and programs.”
Gay City News first reported the removal, which took place Monday.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was outraged by the removal and vowed to protect the LGBTQ+ community in the city.
“New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and no act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history,” Mamdani said in a post on X.
“Our city has a duty not just to honor this legacy, but to live up to it,” he said. “I will always fight for a New York City that invests in our LGBTQ+ community, defends their dignity, and protects every one of our neighbors — without exception.”
State Sen. Erik Bottcher emphasized the importance of the flag.
“The flag is more than just a flag, it represents the rich history of our community; it represents our struggle, it represents the rainbow of people within our community.”
In February 2025, the Trump administration removed mentions of “queer” and “transgender” from the website of the monument.
