NEW YORK — In a bold show of resistance and solidarity, LGBTQ activists reinstalled the Rainbow Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument on Feb. 12, just days after the Trump administration ordered its removal.
The flag-raising unfolded before a packed and passionate crowd in Christopher Park, where community members gathered in frustration after federal officials took down the Pride banner earlier in the week. The original flag had flown at the monument since 2022, symbolizing federal recognition of LGBTQ history at the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement.
The day’s event, initially organized by local elected leaders, took an unexpected turn. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and State Senator Erik Bottcher arrived with a replacement Pride flag mounted on a separate, temporary pole. However, the flag was not affixed to the official monument flagpole and appeared at half-staff, drawing visible disappointment from attendees.
After the officials departed, several activists stepped forward. Armed with scissors and determination, they removed the temporary setup and secured a Rainbow Flag directly onto the monument’s flagpole. Within minutes, cheers erupted as the Pride flag rose again, positioned just inches above the American flag on the shared pole.
Jay W. Walker, one of the activists involved in the reinstallation, said the moment was about more than symbolism. “If the flag is going to fly here, it should fly with dignity,” he told reporters at the scene. “We couldn’t accept it being placed lower or off to the side.”
The confrontation follows a federal directive from the National Park Service citing “government-wide guidance” limiting which flags may be flown on federally managed flagpoles. Officials stated that only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are permitted, with limited exceptions.
Yet for many gathered in Christopher Park, the Pride flag represents not politics, but history. The monument commemorates the 1969 uprising that ignited the modern LGBTQ rights movement, and community leaders argue that the Rainbow Flag is inseparable from that legacy.
As the crowd dispersed under the restored colors of Pride, one message rang clear: the fight for visibility, recognition, and equality continues, and in New York City, it flies high.
By The Midtown Times Staff
