The culture war just landed on federal property in Manhattan. A clash is escalating between New York City Democrats and the Trump administration over a Pride flag that was removed from the Stonewall National Monument, located outside the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. Earlier this week, the administration took down the Pride flag, citing longstanding federal rules governing which flags may be flown at national monuments.
According to officials, only the American flag, the Department of the Interior flag, and POW MIA flags are permitted under federal policy. Political flags are not. The Pride flag, while widely recognized as a symbol of LGBTQ identity, is not among those authorized under U.S. Code for federal monuments. Pride flags are still flying around the Stonewall Inn itself, which is private property adjacent to the monument.
The removal did not go quietly.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani blasted the decision on X, saying he was “outraged” and declaring that “our city has a duty not just to honor this legacy, but to live up to it.” On Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered as local officials re raised the Pride flag at the monument, according to Fox 5 New York.
The Department of the Interior fired back. In a sharply worded statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson accused city leaders of focusing on “theatrics” instead of basic governance. “Instead of addressing the basic needs of their constituents, city leaders seem more focused on theatrics than solutions,” the spokesperson said. “Residents are left wondering why their elected officials are prioritizing headlines over heating.”
The statement did not stop there. It referenced power outages during severe cold weather, people being found dead on city streets, and trash piling up across neighborhoods. “While today’s political stunt is a distraction from their recent deadly failures, it would be a better use of their time to get the trash buildup off city streets, ensure there are no more avoidable deaths, and work to keep the power on for the people of New York City.”
Interior officials maintain that the move was about enforcing “longstanding federal flag policy” and ensuring consistency. A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that an American flag had not previously been displayed at the monument and that park officials purchased one to comply with federal requirements.
The dispute also comes amid broader concerns about what critics call the politicization of national parks. Reports last year detailed protests by so called “Resistance Rangers,” including an upside down American flag unfurled on El Capitan in Yosemite.
Stonewall National Monument, established by President Obama in 2016, commemorates the 1969 riots that became a flashpoint in the modern gay rights movement. The debate now is not about history. It is about whether federal monuments are places for uniform national symbols or platforms for contemporary political expression.