To settle a lawsuit from LGBTQ+ and historic preservation groups, the Trump administration agreed on Monday to allow a rainbow Pride flag to continue flying at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City after removing it in February, though a judge still must approve the administration’s agreement. The flag’s removal was widely condemned by local LGBTQ+ leaders and allies.

Court papers reveal that the U.S. Department of the Interior and National Park Service “confirmed their intention to maintain a Pride flag at Stonewall” and will only remove it for “maintenance or other practical purposes,” The Guardian reported.

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The National Park Service (NPS) removed the flag from the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan in early February after an order from the presidential administration.

A coalition – including the Gilbert Baker Foundation, Village Preservation, and Equality New York, represented by Lambda Legal and the Washington Litigation Group – sued the Trump administration in February. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, argued the removal of the flag was a discriminatory, arbitrary, and unlawful act intended to target the LGBTQ+ community.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote that he was “outraged” by the flag’s removal, calling the city “the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement” and adding, “No act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history.”

Gay New York State Sen. Erik Bottcher (D) called its removal “a deliberate act of erasure,” adding, “This is a cowardly attempt to rewrite history and intimidate our community…. We will not be erased, we will not be silenced, and the Pride flag will fly again.”

Last February, NPS removed all mentions of transgender people from its webpage on Stonewall to comply with Trump’s executive orders prohibiting any federal recognition of trans people in any aspect of civic life. It subsequently removed references to bisexual people, too.

Numerous federal webpages began removing mentions of trans people and gender identity after a January 29 directive from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) telling federal agencies to “end federal funding of gender ideology” in programming, policies, and outward-facing media. The directive reflects Republicans’ larger crusade against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts by government bodies and private businesses.

Steven Love Menendez, an NPS flag caretaker, told Gay City News that removing the Pride flag is “a hateful and petty act from a hateful administration.”

“They have no idea what the meaning of love and community is. They are hellbent on harming as many marginalized groups as they possibly can. They have no compassion, kindness, or soul.”

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