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Stonewall rainbow flag raised by New York officials in rebuke of Trump administration
Summary
New York officials raised a rainbow flag at the Stonewall National Monument after a pride flag was removed from a federal pole; activists later placed the flag on the same rope as the American flag and the Park Service cited new guidance limiting flag displays.
Content
New York officials and activists raised a rainbow flag at the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village amid a cheering crowd. The action followed the removal of a pride flag from a pole at the federal site, an action critics linked to recent changes in federal guidance. The park sits across from the Stonewall Inn, the 1969 uprising site tied to the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The National Park Service has said it is following a Jan. 21 memo that restricts which flags may be displayed.
Key details:
- Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and other officials helped raise the flag before a crowd described as more than a hundred people.
- Activists first raised the rainbow flag on a brought-in pole, then removed it and re‑raised it on the same pole as the American flag so both flew on the same rope.
- The Park Service cited a Jan. 21 memo that largely limits displays to flags of the United States, the Department of the Interior and POW/MIA recognition, with limited exceptions for historical context.
- The flag’s removal drew public complaints from New York Democratic officials including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
- Advocates said the flag’s removal compounded other changes at the monument, including reductions in references to transgender people in interpretive materials.
Summary:
The flag-raising underscored public disagreement over how the Stonewall site is presented and who decides which symbols appear on federal land. Officials and activists framed the action as restoring visibility at a site tied to LGBTQ+ history, while the Park Service points to federal guidance on flag displays. The dispute has prompted statements from elected officials and activists. Undetermined at this time.
