On Thursday, February 12, hundreds gathered at the Stonewall National Monument in NYC to raise the Pride flag and celebrate community action. This is in response to the recent actions of the Trump administration and directives regarding the placement of non-agency flags at national sites.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration removed the Pride flag at the centre of the Stonewall National Monument, the United States’ first national monument to LGBTQ+ rights, commemorating the 1969 riots. This act of erasure sparked outrage from activists and NYC politicians, including recently elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani. 

It is not the first instance of erasure at Stonewall. In February 2025, references to transgender people were removed from the official website of the Stonewall National Monument, as was the term queer. 

In protest of the removal of the Pride flag at the Stonewall monument, city council members wrote a letter to the National Park Service, expressing extreme concern. They noted that the events of the Stonewall Riots “catalyzed a global movement for dignity, equality, and freedom – guiding principles upon which our nation was founded”. The city council also passed a resolution to urge Congress to respect the history and significance of national sites. 

Just days after the flag’s removal, NYC officials and activists raised the flag once more at the National Monument, placing it on the flagpole alongside the American flag, with onlookers chanting ‘raise it up’. U.S. Congressman Jerry Nadler commented that “I’m proud to be at Stonewall today as we re-raise the Pride flag. It’s flying once again”. 

The Manhattan Borough President, Brad Holyman-Sigal, was also amongst those who organised the gathering on Thursday February 12, to raise the flag. On social media, Holyman-Sigal noted that “The community should rejoice. We have prevailed. Our flag represents dignity and human rights”. 

NYC Pride also posted to their social media, standing with over 20 Pride organisations across America in their statement to the US Department of the Interior, regarding the directive from the Trump administration to restrict non-agency flags within the National Park Service. While the Stonewall Monument is one instance of discrimination, organisations are banding together to ensure this does not become a larger issue. Considering the recent removal of an exhibit on slavery in a Philadelphia National Park, these concerning trends towards erasure and the re-writing of history have activist organisations on guard.