The rainbow flag that was flying at the Stonewall National Monument in Lower Manhattan was taken down recently by the National Park Service according to a report [1] from the Associated Press and, as you would expect, the Democrats are all in a tizzy about it.
The flag had been on a flagpole directly across from the Stonewall Inn, the historic gay bar where a 1969 police raid sparked an uprising that became a defining moment in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The flag was first raised on federal property at Stonewall in June 2019. It was installed during Pride Month as part of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. Interestingly, the move happened under the Trump administration – but it was presented as a commemorative display, not a permanent fixture. In 2022, under the Biden Administration, a permanent flagpole was installed where they raised the rainbow flag.
According to the AP, in explaining the removal of the flag, the National Park Service says it is following guidance [2] that clarifies existing flag policies and applies them uniformly across its sites. A Jan. 21 memo directs the agency to limit flag displays primarily to the American flag, the Department of the Interior flag, and the POW/MIA flag.
But this isn’t anything new. National Park Service policy has traditionally limited permanent flag displays to the American flag and a small number of congressionally authorized flags. While exceptions have occasionally been made for commemorative purposes, federal monuments are not generally intended to serve as platforms for political advocacy symbols.
A rainbow flag still remains on a city-owned pole just outside the park, with smaller versions lining the fence nearby. But advocates spent years pushing to have the banner raised daily on federal property, viewing its installation in 2019 as a meaningful symbol of recognition and inclusion.
The removal of the Pride Rainbow Flag from the Stonewall National Monument is a deeply outrageous action that must be reversed right now. Stonewall is a landmark because it is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, and symbols of that legacy belong there by both… pic.twitter.com/BjzLF1Me59 [3]
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 10, 2026 [4]
In the end, the debate isn’t about whether the events of 1969 matter or not and if they should be recognized. The question is whether a federal flagpole should be allowed to serve as a permanent platform for an advocacy symbol for a political party. The Trump administration has made clear that it should not.