Chaotic Pride Flag Raising at Stonewall After Trump-Ordered Removal

NEW YORK — The Pride rainbow flag was raised Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, at the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village after it was removed earlier in the week under updated federal flag guidance.

The Trump administration had quietly removed the Pride flag following new rules governing which flags may be flown at National Park Service sites.

One day before the planned re-raising, the National Park Service installed an American flag on the existing flagpole at the monument.

On Thursday, local elected officials arrived with a separate, shorter flagpole. They secured it to the existing pole and raised the Pride flag. At first, the Pride flag flew below the American flag.
Video from the scene shows moments of disagreement in the crowd. Some attendees shouted “Take it down!” directed at the American flag, while others shouted “Leave it up!”
At one point, the American flag was lowered as the Pride flag was raised. After objections from parts of the crowd, both flags were placed on the pole.

Later, some activists removed both flags and attached them together using plastic zip ties before raising them again.
The event drew about 1,000 spectators and participants.