Hours after news broke that the National Park Service would ban the display of Pride flags at Stonewall National Monument (the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the United States), the Washington Blade spoke with New York State Sen. Eric Bottcher, who represents the Stonewall Inn and the area surrounding the monument.
During the interview, Bottcher, who is gay, talked about the policy change and outlined steps he plans to take in the coming days to encourage it.
“This is another act of erasure,” Bottcher told the Blade. “This is a despicable attempt to rewrite history and intimidate our community. This is Stonewall. This is where we fought back and sparked a global movement for equality. And we refuse to go back. We will not accept these acts of erasure.”
The Stonewall Inn became a flashpoint in 1969 after NYPD officers raided the bar. This was part of a long-standing pattern of police harassment of LGBTQ spaces. The attack sparked days of protests and resistance along Christopher Street, and is now widely recognized as the catalyst for the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
Although this event is often referred to as the “Stonewall Riots,” many activists and historians prefer the term “Stonewall Uprisings” to emphasize that the resistance was a response to systematic oppression rather than senseless violence. LGBTQ patrons and community members fired back, chanting “gay power!” and “Free Christopher Street!” as the crowd grew and frustration over police abuse boiled over.
Since the uprisings, LGBTQ people and allies have come together every June to commemorate Stonewall and celebrate Pride, honoring a movement that placed LGBTQ voices at the center of the fight for equality.
In June 2016, then-President Barack Obama officially designated the site as Stonewall National Monument, making it the first national monument in the United States to be designated as an LGBTQ historic site.
Nearly a decade later, President Trump’s pick to serve as acting NPS administrator, Jessica Bowron, changed the policy on January 21 regarding which flags are allowed to be flown in national parks. Many, including Bottcher, argue that this is part of a larger, targeted attempt by the administration to erase LGBTQ history.
“It is clear that they are making a conscious decision to erase symbols of our community from monuments to our community’s struggles,” he said. “This is a calculated and planned decision that can and should be overturned.”
“Let me be clear: They wish we never existed…but we are not going anywhere. We refuse to go back into the shadows,” Bottcher added.
When asked why it’s important to challenge this policy, Bottcher emphasized the importance of visibility in preserving LGBTQ history.
“That’s why it’s so important that we don’t let this situation go unchecked,” he said. “Visibility is so important. By letting people see us, know about us, and get to know us, we can break through prejudices and stereotypes. We cannot allow them to push us back into the shadows.”
Other LGBTQ leaders and elected officials were quick to condemn the removal of the Pride flag, which had been flown since the site was officially designated a national monument.
New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani called the decision “outrageous.”
“I am outraged by the removal of the Rainbow Pride flag from Stonewall National Monument,” Mamdani said in a statement. “New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and no act of erasure will change or silence that history.”
“Our city has an obligation not only to honor this heritage, but to live up to it,” he added. “I will always fight for a New York City that invests in the LGBTQ+ community, protects their dignity, and protects all of our neighbors, without exception.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also condemned the move.
“Removing the Pride rainbow flag from Stonewall National Monument is an outrageous act and must be done away with immediately,” Schumer said. said in a statement to The Advocate.. “Stonewall is a landmark because it is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, and the symbols of that heritage belong there both historically and in principle.”
Kathy Lena, communications director for the National LGBTQ Task Force, said removing the flag does not erase the movement it represents.
“They can take down the flag, but they can’t take back our history,” Lena said. “Stonewall is a sacred site rooted in the legacy of resistance, liberation, and transgender and queer pioneers who changed the course of history.”
Brandon Wolfe, national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, echoed similar sentiments.
“Bad news for the Trump administration: These colors don’t work,” Wolf said. “The Stonewall Inn and visitor center is privately owned, its flag still flies high, and its community is as queer today as it was yesterday.”
Tyler Huck, executive director of the Christopher Street Project, said the removal was aimed squarely at LGBTQ visibility.
“The Pride flag was removed from Stonewall for one reason: to further exclude gay and transgender people from public life,” Haq said. “Stonewall commemorates the moment when queer and trans people fought back and demanded dignity. Our history does not erase their history.”
Bottcher concluded by assuring voters, and the broader LGBTQ community, that the removal of the Pride flag is not permanent.
“We will not be erased. We will not be silenced,” he said. “And the pride flag will once again fly in the birthplace of our movement.”
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
