Months after removal, Trump administration agrees to let Pride flag fly at Stonewall

+ Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Months after removal, Trump administration agrees to let Pride flag fly at Stonewall Months after removing the Pride flag from the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, the Trump administration is allowing the flag to fly once again at Stonewall National Monument. National Months after removal, Trump administration agrees to let Pride flag fly at Stonewall April 14, 20264:41 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Steve Kastenbaum Months after removal, Trump administration agrees to let Pride flag fly at Stonewall Listen &middot; 2:13 2:13 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5783946/nx-s1-9729068" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Months after removing the Pride flag from the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, the Trump administration is allowing the flag to fly once again at Stonewall National Monument. Sponsor Message MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Earlier this year, the Trump administration took down a rainbow pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York, part of what many saw as a broader assault on the LGBTQ+ community. On Monday, the federal government agreed to a court settlement that allows the flag to fly. Reporter Steve Kastenbaum has more in New York.

+ STEVE KASTENBAUM: Here at the Stonewall National Monument, tulips are in full bloom surrounding the flagpole where the Gay Pride flag has been flying for weeks beneath an American flag. Back in February, a group of community members and gay rights activists jumped over the fence to put the flag back up. And it's been flying ever since. Now, as a result of that settlement, it'll stay there in perpetuity. ROSE BARTER: It should've never come down. KASTENBAUM: Rose Barter (ph) came to the Stonewall National Monument from Homer Glen, Illinois. BARTER: This is that ray of sunshine, that ray of hope that, like, maybe we can turn that corner again and get back to a place where we're respecting all people in America. (SOUNDBITE OF CAR HONKING) KASTENBAUM: The monument commemorates the birth of the gay rights movement, the uprising in 1969 when people fought back against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn bar. When the pride flag disappeared earlier this year, the Park Service cited a directive that said only the U.S. flag and their agency flag could be flown at their properties. Steve Timmins (ph) of Long Beach, California, didn't buy that explanation. STEVE TIMMINS: They were trying to rewrite history and erase us from history. And so, to see that it's flying again I think is - it's acknowledging my existence. KASTENBAUM: Matthew McMorrow was enjoying a celebratory drink in front of the Stonewall Inn. He works in public affairs. And he advised one of the plaintiffs that sued the federal government over the Pride flag's removal. MATTHEW MCMORROW: We fought back, and we won. And I think that's an important message to everyone who's under attack by this administration. KASTENBAUM: The Park Service denied that the flag ban was intentionally targeting any group. The settlement calls for the Pride flag to be flown permanently, along with the stars and stripes and the National Park Service flag. For NPR News, I'm Steve Kastenbaum in New York. (SOUNDBITE OF ALL INDIA RADIO'S "WHISTLE") Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1167:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(323)},323:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(82)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1140),c(116),c(94),c(52),c(493),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1141),c(143),c(1142),c(238),c(48),c(1143)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1167,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();