Rainbow Flag Removed from Stonewall National Monument
The Trump administration’s recent decision to take down a large rainbow flag from in front of the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village has sparked anger among gay rights advocates.
The National Park Service has discreetly removed the flag that was flying in Christopher Park, located adjacent to Manhattan’s historic Stonewall Inn.
According to a directive from the U.S. Department of the Interior shared with Gay City News, only the American flag and a few other approved flags will be permitted on federal poles, with “limited exceptions.”
“It’s disgusting. It’s outrageous,” expressed Allen Rothkopf, 75, founder of the Jim Owls LGBT Liberal Democratic Club. Rothkopf, who came out at 19 following the landmark 1969 Stonewall Riots that ignited the contemporary gay rights movement in the U.S., didn’t hold back his feelings.
“The flag is not just political; it’s a symbol of America,” added Daniel Mercurio, 58, a West Village resident.
“I find it hard to watch as vague flag regulations are used as a cover for enforcing xenophobic policies,” he told the Post.
Approximately 100 people gathered at the location on Tuesday to urge for the return of the flag to this historically significant site.
The National Park Service has not provided any comments in response to inquiries from The Post.
Mayor Zoran Mamdani and City Council President Julie Menin have also voiced their disappointment regarding the flag’s removal.
However, it seems their options are limited. In 2016, the city donated 0.12 acres of Christopher Park to the federal government, coinciding with former President Barack Obama’s designation of the Stonewall National Monument.
The rainbow flag had been permanently displayed at this site since 2022, marking it as the first rainbow flag to be flown indefinitely on federal land.
“New York is where the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement began, and no act of erasure can change that,” Mamdani tweeted. “Our city must honor this heritage and uphold it.”
Menin and other council members sent a letter expressing their “extreme concern” to National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron, calling for the flag’s reinstatement.
The letter cautioned that this decision conveys a troubling message, suggesting a readiness to erase the very values that define America.
Stacy Lentz, a co-owner of the Stonewall Inn, remarked that she and her partners only discovered the flag’s removal late on Monday.
“This isn’t merely a political flag,” Lentz told the Post. “It stands as a historical landmark, designated as a national monument because it marks the inception of the LGBTQ rights movement.”
“This is not a political symbol. It’s a historical symbol,” she reaffirmed.
