The Trump administration, which in February had ruled in favor of removing the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument, has reversed its decision and announced that the flag will remain at the site.
While the agreement still requires judicial approval, the administration’s move marks a significant development for LGBTQ+ and historic preservation groups that filed a lawsuit challenging the removal.
The administration had previously argued that only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags may be flown on National Park Service-managed flagpoles, with “limited exceptions.”
However, plaintiffs argued in court that other non-agency flags, including the Confederate flag, have been permitted at the monument due to their “historical context.” They said this demonstrated inconsistent application of the policy.
The rainbow Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument carries historical significance, as the site includes a park across from the Stonewall Inn, where a 1969 police raid sparked an uprising that helped catalyze the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, according to NBC News.
The Stonewall National Monument was established by former President Barack Obama in 2016. In 2022, during President Joe Biden’s administration, the Pride flag was formally installed at the site.
The monument is the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history. The earlier decision to remove the flag drew backlash from advocacy groups and supporters who said the move diminished a symbol of the community’s struggle.
Under the revised agreement, the monument’s flagpole will display three flags within seven days. Court documents state, “Within seven days of the filing of this stipulation, the National Park Service shall hang three equally sized, three-foot-by-five-foot flags on the flagpole at Stonewall.”
The documents further state, “NPS will hang the American flag at the top of the flagpole in accordance with current guidance, and below it, on either side, will hang the rainbow Pride flag and the NPS flag.”
The Interior Department and National Park Service also confirmed their intention to maintain the Pride flag at Stonewall, noting it would only be removed for “maintenance or other practical purposes.”
Karen Loewy, co-counsel for the plaintiffs and senior counsel at Lambda Legal, said the removal was “sudden, arbitrary, and capricious.” She added that the government has now pledged to restore the symbol “to where it belongs.”
The policy shift comes amid broader debates over LGBTQ+ rights in the United States, with advocacy groups continuing to monitor federal actions affecting the community.