NEW YORK, New York — In a highly symbolic clash over federal policy and LGBTQ history, New York politicians and activists raised a rainbow Pride flag Thursday at the Stonewall National Monument after the Trump administration ordered its removal. The action drew a cheering crowd to Christopher Park in Greenwich Village, directly across from the historic Stonewall Inn, where the 1969 uprising helped launch the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the first openly gay person elected to his position, helped hoist the flag near an existing American flag. “If you can’t fly a Pride flag steps from Stonewall monument … where can you fly it?” he said. Activists briefly repositioned the flag so it would fly on the same rope as the U.S. flag.
The National Park Service had removed the Pride flag earlier this week, citing federal guidance that limits displays primarily to official government flags. The Interior Department dismissed Thursday’s event as “political pageantry,” criticizing New York’s Democratic leadership.
New York officials including Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul publicly objected to the removal. Advocates argue the Pride flag’s presence at the monument represents recognition of LGBTQ Americans’ history and civil rights legacy, especially following broader Trump administration rollbacks of diversity initiatives.
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