Schumer bill would give pride flag federal protections

Schumer said Stonewall is "sacred ground and Congress must act now to permanently protect the Pride flag and what it stands for" by granting federal protections that would allow it to be flown outside government buildings, and National Park sites. 

"Trump’s hateful crusade must end," Schumer said in a statement. "The very core of American identity is liberty and justice for all – and that is what this legislation would protect: each national park’s ability to make their own decision about what flag can be flown." 

The Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village is considered the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. In 1969, a police raid at the gay bar sparked protests and skirmishes between rioters and police. Then-President Barack Obama designated the monument in 2016 during his second term. 

The Interior Department quietly removed the flag about two weeks ago, citing a 2023 federal directive restricting the kinds of flags that can be flown on National Park sites. The department said only U.S. flags, historical flags, military flags, or flags of federally recognized Tribal nations can fly within the parks. 

"Flagpoles at buildings under the jurisdiction, custody, or control of DOI are also not intended to serve as a forum for free expression by the public," the agency said in a memo. 

But Schumer and other New York Democrats accused the federal agency of trying "erase history" and gathered with LGBTQ activists at the monument on Thursday where they "re-raised" the rainbow flag.

While Trump hasn't personally targeted the Stonewall monument in his public statements, critics say the flag removal is the latest example of the Trump administration's efforts to purge federal institutions and landmarks of materials that conflict with the president’s political agenda. 

Last year, the park service removed references to transgender and queer people on its web page for the Stonewall monument, drawing outrage from LGBTQ groups.

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who joined other Democrats in re-raising the flag last week, is among those who support Schumer's proposal. He said the legislation "protects our legacy, our dignity, and the generations who will look to Stonewall as proof that progress, once won, must be defended." 

"Authorizing the Pride flag in federal law is about more than symbolism, it’s about permanence," he said in a statement. "It sends a clear message that LGBTQ+ history is not subject to political whims and that our visibility cannot be stripped away. Civil rights landmarks should not be vulnerable to shifting administrations."