Photo: Alamy
The National Park Service has removed a large rainbow pride flag from Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan, the site widely recognized as the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, according to multiple reports.
The monument was designated in June 2016 by Barack Obama to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising, which began on June 28, 1969, and to honor the broader LGBTQ equality movement.
In a statement Tuesday, the Park Service said the change was made to align with longstanding federal flag policy.
“The policy governing flag displays on federal property has been in place for decades,” the agency’s communications office said.
“Recent guidance clarifies how that longstanding policy is applied consistently across NPS-managed sites. Under government-wide guidance, including General Services Administration policy and Department of the Interior direction, 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,” it continued.
A January memo from the department outlines limited exemptions for non-agency flags, including those used for historical context or in reenactments and living history programs.
The move drew criticism from several New York Democrats, the Daily Caller reported. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal wrote on social media that a January 21 federal order led to the flag’s removal and said the administration “cannot erase” LGBTQ history.
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin called Stonewall “sacred ground” and described the removal as “a deliberate and cowardly attempt to erase that history.” State Sen. Erik Bottcher also criticized the decision, writing that it was “a shameful attempt to rewrite history.”
The removal comes amid broader shifts in how federal agencies and private corporations handle LGBTQ symbols and events. In 2025, several major U.S. companies scaled back their involvement in pride-related events nationwide.
