Trump Administration Sued Over Removing Stonewall Pride Flag

Lawsuit claims prohibiting the rainbow flag at the historic 1969 uprising site violates federal law allowing Confederate flags to be flown.

Published on Feb. 19, 2026

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A lawsuit has been filed against the Trump administration for removing the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City. The complaint argues that this move violated a federal law that permits other flags, including Confederate flags, to be flown on National Park Service sites to provide historical context. The lawsuit claims the administration's actions are part of a 'wider campaign to demean and erase the transgender community'.

Why it matters

The Stonewall Inn was the site of a pivotal 1969 uprising that is considered a turning point for LGBTQ+ rights. The removal of the Pride flag from this historic monument has sparked outrage and accusations that the Trump administration is targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

The details

The lawsuit, filed by a group of nonprofits including the Gilbert Baker Foundation, argues that prohibiting the Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument violates a federal law that allows Confederate flags to be flown on National Park Service sites to provide historical context. The complaint states that the NPS has not removed other historical flags, such as Confederate flags, from other national monuments.

  • In early February 2026, the iconic multicolored Pride flag was quietly removed from a flagpole on the NPS-run Stonewall National Monument site.
  • The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The players

Gilbert Baker Foundation

A foundation honoring Gilbert Baker, the artist who created the rainbow Pride flag in the late 1970s.

Trump Administration

The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, which is being sued over the removal of the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument.

National Park Service (NPS)

The federal agency that manages the Stonewall National Monument and justified the decision to remove the Pride flag by citing a Department of Interior directive.

Department of Interior (DOI)

The federal department that issued a directive stating 'only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions.'

Zohran Mamdani

The Democratic mayor of New York City, who criticized the removal of the Pride flag and said 'New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and no act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history.'

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What they’re saying

“The Pride flag is recognized globally as a symbol of hope and liberation for the LGBTQ+ community whose efforts and resistance define this monument. Removing it would, in fact, erase its history and the voices Stonewall honors.”

— Charles Beal, President of the Gilbert Baker Foundation (The lawsuit)

“New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and no act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history.”

— Zohran Mamdani, New York City Mayor (HuffPost)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide whether to allow the Pride flag to be reinstated at the Stonewall National Monument.

The takeaway

This lawsuit highlights the ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as the importance of preserving the historical significance of sites like the Stonewall Inn that are central to the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.