Trump admin agrees to fly pride flag at Stonewall National Monument in resolution to lawsuit
The Trump administration on Monday agreed to fly the rainbow pride flag on federal grounds at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City after the National Park Service's removal of the flag was challenged in a federal lawsuit filed by a coalition of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.
The Department of the Interior, which oversees NPS, agreed to fly the flag at the site as part of a resolution to the lawsuit filed on Feb. 17 by the Gilbert Baker Foundation, Village Preservation and Equality New York.
The site became the first federal monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights in 2016. The pride flag was permanently installed at the site during the Biden administration in 2021, but was removed by NPS in early February.
The move drew sharp criticism from a group of local lawmakers, officials and LGBTQ+ advocates, who rallied at the site on Feb. 12 and installed their own pride flag there to replace the one removed by the government. As the lawsuit moved forward, NPS did not remove the flag that was installed by advocates.
According to court documents, NPS agreed that the pride flag will fly at the site alongside the American flag and the NPS flag.
The Gilbert Baker Foundation, which is named after the artist who created the pride flag in 1978, celebrated the lawsuit's resolution and the government's agreement to fly the flag at the monument.
"The Rainbow Flag is more than a symbol -- it is a global emblem of hope, visibility, and the ongoing struggle for equality," Charles Beal, president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation, said in a statement announcing the agreement. "Its presence at Stonewall, the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, is both historically and culturally indispensable. Restoring the flag affirms the truth of our history and the legitimacy of our continued fight for dignity and inclusion."
ABC News reached out to the Interior Department and NPS for comment.
The NPS communications office confirmed the removal of the rainbow flag in a statement to ABC News in February. It said that, under federal guidance, "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. Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site's historic significance through exhibits and programs," the statement continued.
The monument is located near the Stonewall Inn, a historic gay bar in the neighborhood that was a safe haven for many in the LGBTQ+ community in the 1960s. The bar was raided by the NYPD in 1969, leading to riots that became known as the Stonewall Uprising, which is credited with kickstarting the modern LGBTQ+ movement. The NYPD publicly apologized for the raid in 2019.
