New York Officials Raise Pride Flag at Stonewall After NPS Removal
Officials and activists re-hoisted a Pride flag at Stonewall National Monument on Feb. 12, 2025 after the National Park Service removed it over the Feb. 7, 2025 weekend.
Overview
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and other elected officials and activists re-hoisted a rainbow Pride flag at Stonewall National Monument on Feb. 12, 2025, and Hoylman-Sigal declared "We did it" in an Instagram post.
The Department of the Interior confirmed that federal workers removed a large rainbow Pride flag from the site over the Feb. 7, 2025 weekend, citing a Jan. 21, 2025 National Park Service memo that largely restricts display of non-agency flags, officials said.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted he was "outraged" on X, and Gov. Kathy Hochul, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand criticized the removal, while the White House said it was "deferring" to the Department of the Interior, their statements show.
Press accounts offered conflicting turnout estimates, with one report saying more than 2,000 people descended on the 7.7-acre Christopher Park and another describing a crowd of about 100, illustrating divergent views of the protest's scale, reports show.
Activists and local organizers said they plan additional demonstrations and other remedies in response to the removal, and the National Park Service declined to say whether flags were removed at other parks, indicating the dispute may continue, organizers and agency officials said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a political rebuke of the Trump administration’s actions, using vivid descriptors and selective sourcing to emphasize protest and official condemnation. Editorial choices—words like "rebuking" and "defiantly," prioritizing activists and Democratic officials, highlighting emotive protest quotes while noting terse Park Service responses—create a critical, oppositional narrative.
Sources (12)
FAQ
The NPS removed the flag over the February 7, 2025 weekend, citing a January 21, 2025 memo restricting non-agency flags on federal flagpoles, with only narrow exceptions.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and other elected officials and activists re-hoisted the rainbow Pride flag, with Hoylman-Sigal declaring 'We did it' on Instagram.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed outrage on X, while Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand criticized the removal; the White House deferred to the Department of the Interior.
Press accounts varied, with one estimating over 2,000 people at Christopher Park and another about 100; attendees estimated 500 to 750.
Activists and organizers plan additional demonstrations and other remedies, as the NPS declined to comment on flags at other parks.
History
3 sources
5 sources