In a familiar pattern, the Trump administration has once again taken aim at the LGBTQ community, removing the Pride flag from the flagpole at Stonewall National Monument.
Historic site designated as a national monument by former president barack obama Spread over 7.7 acres in 2016. Stonewall Inn, christopher parkand several nearby roads and sidewalks. Portions of the site are protected as both a New York City Landmark and a New York State Historic Site.
Following federal government decision to remove rainbow pride flag guidance Published by US Department of the Interior Except for displaying flags of so-called “non-governmental entities” within the national park system. “With limited exceptions, only the United States flag and other Congressional or department-authorized flags will be flown on flagpoles maintained by the NPS,” the memo issued last month said.
“Changes to the display of the flag will be made to ensure consistency with that guidance.” national park service said new york times Regarding the removal of the flag from the nation’s only national monument specifically recognizing the history of the LGBTQ Pride movement.
It remains unclear who removed the flag or when it was removed.
The flag’s removal is the latest in a series of symbolic moves by the United Nations. trump administration Targeting diversity and inclusion efforts. This mirrors a U.S. State Department order issued last year requiring only the U.S. flag to be flown at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, reversing a Biden-era policy that allowed pride flags and “Black Lives Matter” flags to be flown.
of US Department of the InteriorThe National Park Service, which oversees the National Park Service, defended the directive as guidance to field managers on procedures for flying “nongovernmental flags” in national parks.
The station reported new york times The flagpole at the building, which is managed by the General Services Administration and the Department of the Interior, “is not intended to serve as a forum for the free expression of the public.”
However, the directive also includes some exceptions, such as flags displayed for historical context (a category that may apply to the Pride flag), flags used in historical reenactments, and flags of tribal nations affiliated with national parks.
The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street, is the site of the June 1969 Stonewall Uprising, long considered the seminal event of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The uprising was sparked by police raids on bars.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has taken steps to reduce the visibility of LGBTQ people at Stonewall National Monument. last year, national park service deleted The word “transgender” is featured prominently on the monument’s official website. Later that year, authorities removed the word “bisexual” from parts of the site, but reversed course after public backlash.
LGBTQ advocates, allies, and New York politicians denounced the move as another attack on the LGBTQ community by the Trump administration.
Tyler Huck, Executive Director christopher street projectsaid the flag’s removal served a single purpose: “further excluding gay and transgender people from public life.”
Kathy Lena, Communications Director National LGBTQ Special Committeesaid the flag’s removal is “another reminder that efforts to chip away at LGBTQ+ visibility are happening in real time.”
“What stands at Stonewall is more than just a landmark; it is a sacred site rooted in the legacy of resistance, liberation, and the transgender and queer pioneers who changed the course of history,” she said.
Brandon Wolf, National Press Secretary human rights campaignpointed out that the Stonewall Inn and Visitors Center is privately owned and is free to fly the Pride flag regardless of government orders.
“The Trump administration is obsessed with stifling the joy and pride Americans have in their communities,” Wolf said. “For more than a year, they have been on a witch hunt, targeting rainbow crosswalks, pride flags, and Black Lives Matter murals, and throwing tantrums over an out-of-control Super Bowl performance. But they will fail.”
Manhattan Mayor: “There seems to be no limit to the Trump administration’s nastiness” brad foilman sigal said in a statement. “But our community will not stand by and watch our history, and by extension our human rights, be erased.”
Hoylman-Sigal, who is gay, said he and other elected officials plan to raise a Pride flag at the monument on Thursday.
“It may prevent you from doing so,” he said. “But I think if we don’t seize this moment and this outrageous act, we will be letting down generations of queer activists.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
