If you walked past the Stonewall National Monument this week and noticed something missing, you weren\u2019t imagining it. The large Pride flag that had flown inside the federally managed park disappeared after a new directive from\u00a0President Donald\u00a0Trump’s administration tightened rules around which flags can fly at National Park Service sites\u2014sparking protests, political pushback and plans to put it right back up.<\/p>\n
The key detail: Stonewall National Monument<\/a> isn\u2019t run by New York City. The small park across from the Stonewall Inn<\/a> is part of the National Park Service, which means federal policy ultimately controls what happens on its flagpoles.\u00a0<\/p>\n In January, the Department of the Interior issued guidance stating that most NPS-managed poles may display only the American flag and other flags authorized by Congress or the department, with limited exceptions. The agency said \u201cchanges to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance.\u201d<\/a> That\u2019s why federal employees removed the Pride flag, not because the city voted to take it down.<\/p>\n The flag itself has a surprisingly complicated history. When the monument was designated in 2016, the Pride flag wasn\u2019t initially a permanent fixture. During Trump\u2019s first term, the Park Service briefly installed one and then backed away after determining the pole was actually on city land. Later, during then President Joe Biden’s administration, the agency installed its own Pride flag inside the park\u2014the first long-term rainbow flag on federal property there\u2014which is the one removed this week.<\/p>\n Local leaders have framed the move as symbolic. Council Speaker Julie Menin said the flag \u201cwas taken in the middle of the night,\u201d at a Thursday news conference, adding, \u201cThere was no discussion. There was no warning. It was taken.\u201d\u00a0Others have promised to reinstall it quickly. Councilmember Chi Oss\u00e9, a co-chair of the City Council\u2019s LGBTQIA+ caucus, told reporters, \u201cThe most Stonewall thing that we could possibly do is put that flag back up ourselves instead of waiting for the president.\u201d<\/p>\n