The Trump administration agreed Monday to permanently fly a Pride flag at the Stonewall national monument in New York, reversing its decision to remove the banner just two months earlier. The reversal came as the government moved to settle a lawsuit filed by LGBTQ+ advocacy and historic preservation groups.
A federal judge must still approve the settlement agreement. Court documents show the Interior Department and National Park Service have "confirmed their intention to maintain a Pride flag at Stonewall" except for maintenance or other practical reasons.
Under the deal, the park service will install three flags on the monument's flagpole within a week. Each flag measures 3 feet by 5 feet, with the Pride flag positioned between the American flag and the National Park Service flag.
The flag removal in February had triggered immediate backlash. Activists and New York Democratic officials showed up with their own rainbow flag and hoisted it alongside the official American flag the park service had installed, creating a public standoff that drew national attention.
Stonewall sits on a small park across from the Stonewall Inn, the gay bar where a 1969 police raid sparked the uprising that catalyzed the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. President Barack Obama established the Stonewall national monument in 2016 as the first national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history.
The Pride flag had flown there since 2022, when park service officials called it a symbol of the government's commitment to "telling the complex and diverse histories of all Americans." In January, however, the park service issued new guidance restricting flag displays to the American flag, the Interior Department flag, and the POW/MIA flag, with limited exemptions.
The February removal caught many off guard given how central the flag had become to the site's identity. Park service officials claimed the action reflected compliance with the new federal guidance, though they insisted the monument remained "committed to preserving and interpreting the history and significance of this site" through exhibits and programs.
LGBTQ+ advocates saw the removal as a targeted insult. The Trump administration has aggressively challenged diversity initiatives across federal agencies since returning to office, and the monument itself has not been spared. Multiple references to transgender people have been scrubbed from the site's website and official materials.
The administration has also subjected national parks, museums, and federal landmarks to new messaging standards, removing or altering content it deems "divisive or partisan" or materials that "inappropriately disparage Americans."
Author James Rodriguez: "The settlement shows that sustained public pressure and litigation can still move an administration, even one deeply committed to rolling back LGBTQ+ recognition at every turn."
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