National Park Service removes pride flag from Stonewall National Monument

NEW YORK - The Trump Administration has removeda pride flag from a major national monument for LGBTQ+ history.

The removal of the flag at Stonewall National Monument comes exactly one year after the National Park Service removed references to transgender and queer people from their webpages, including the page on Stonewall. The move is the latest in a string of removals and changes censuring information on signs and exhibits on public lands that has picked up pace in recent weeks.

NPS referenced a January 2026 memofrom the Trump Administration as the justification for the flag's removal. The memo states that NPS can only fly certain flags on lands managed by the Interior Department.

But other Trump Administration executive orders and government memos are also driving these changes, including a list of wordsflagged in early 2025 for government agencies to limit or avoid (such as "transgender") as well as a "review" of signs and exhibits at national parks and national monuments that come in conflict with Trump's March 2025 executive orderon "restoring truth and sanity to American History".

Stonewall National Monument marks the site of a 1969 riot at Stonewall Inn that became a turning point in the U.S. civil rights movement.

In response, Jackie Ostfeld, campaign director with the Sierra Club's Outdoors For All campaign, issued the following statement:

"Removing the pride flag from Stonewall National Monument is yet another attempt by the Trump Administration to erase LGBTQ+ people from the very places meant to honor their contributions to this country. But history isn't erased by taking down flags, and the achievements of the diverse communities that make up this country will never be undone by political decisions. Our public lands should reflect the full, honest story of America, not a sanitized version of history that excludes entire communities."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.