Lawsuit Filed Against Trump Administration Over Removal of Pride Flag from Stonewall National Monument
A coalition of nonprofit organizations has initiated legal action against the Trump administration this week, challenging the removal of the iconic rainbow Pride flag from the historic Stonewall National Monument in New York City. The lawsuit, submitted to federal court on Tuesday, contends that this action breaches federal regulations that allow for the display of flags offering historical context at National Park Service sites, including Confederate flags.
Allegations of Discrimination and Legal Violations
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, asserts that the administration's move was not an oversight but a deliberate act. Led by the Gilbert Baker Foundation, which honors the artist who designed the Pride flag in the late 1970s, the lawsuit argues that the removal violates the Administrative Procedure Act. It highlights that the administration has not taken similar action against other historical flags, such as Confederate flags, at national monuments.
"This capricious action is part of a broader pattern by the Trump Administration to target the LGBTQ+ community for discrimination and opprobrium," the lawsuit states. The Stonewall National Monument commemorates The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan where a 1969 police raid sparked an uprising that became a pivotal moment for LGBTQ+ rights.
Details of the Flag Removal and Government Justification
In early February, the multicolored Pride flag, which includes colors representing the transgender community, was discreetly taken down from a flagpole at the National Park Service-managed site in Greenwich Village. The NPS defended the decision by referencing a recent Department of Interior directive, which stipulates that only the U.S. flag and other authorized flags may be flown on NPS flagpoles, with limited exceptions.
However, the lawsuit counters that NPS and DOI policies do not mandate such removal. "In fact, the opposite is true," the complaint reads. "These policies explicitly permit flying flags that provide historical context to national monuments, which the Pride flag has done at Stonewall for years." It notes that this exception is what allows Confederate flags to be displayed at locations like Gettysburg National Military Park.
Broader Context and Community Response
The filing further alleges that the flag removal aligns with a wider campaign by the Trump administration to marginalize the transgender community, pointing to the recent deletion of the word "transgender" from sections of the Stonewall monument's website. In response to inquiries, an Interior Department spokesperson avoided addressing the lawsuit directly, instead criticizing New York City's Democratic leadership over issues like power outages and trash accumulation during recent cold weather.
Charles Beal, president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation, emphasized the flag's significance: "The Pride flag is a global symbol of hope and liberation for the LGBTQ+ community, whose struggles define this monument. Removing it erases history and the voices Stonewall honors." Hundreds of New Yorkers protested the removal, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani reaffirmed the city's role as the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, vowing that no act of erasure would silence that history.
Although city officials re-raised the flag late last week, it remains at risk of being taken down again. The National Park Service has been contacted for comment on the ongoing legal dispute.
