Elected officials, LGBTQ leaders gather at Stonewall to demand return of removed pride flag

Dozens of elected officials and LGBTQ leaders gathered at Stonewall National Monument on the morning of the event to demand the return of a pride flag removed from a federal site and to announce plans to re-raise it later the same day.

The protest was led by members and former co-chairs of the New York City Council LGBTQ caucus and allied state and local officials. Crystal Hudson, a former co-chair of the caucus, opened remarks by saying, "We're here, we're queer, and we're not going anywhere," tying the moment to Black History Month and calling queer history part of Black history. Other speakers urged solidarity and resistance, accusing the federal administration of attempting to erase LGBTQ references and symbols from public institutions.

City Council speaker Julie Menon said the council had sent a letter to the National Park Service demanding that the pride flag be returned. "We stand united to demand the return of this flag," Menon said, calling the flag a symbol of inclusion and the removal "unconscionable." Several speakers characterized the removal as part of a broader political effort they described as erasure; Assembly member Tony Symone said the administration "manufactures an enemy" and urged allies to mobilize.

Speakers tied the removal to the history of Stonewall and framed the act as symbolic. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman Siegel described the site as "hallowed ground" and urged attendees to reconvene at 4:00 p.m. to re-raise the pride flag in memory of the Stonewall uprising. Organizers repeatedly framed their response as both a public-demonstration tactic and a political demand directed at the National Park Service and the federal administration.

There was no formal motion, vote, or legal action recorded in the morning program; the event produced public statements, a demand letter to the National Park Service, and coordinated plans to return at 4:00 p.m. to place the flag back on federal property. Organizers emphasized protest and community action rather than an official municipal remedy. Several speakers urged different audiences — queer youth, allies, and moderate Republicans — to join the effort.

The gathering included expressions of historical context and urgency rather than procedural steps or policy proposals. Organizers said the rally was the start of a sustained movement and repeated that the community would continue pressing for preservation of LGBTQ history and visibility. The morning session closed with thanks to attendees and a final restatement that participants would meet again at 4:00 p.m. to attempt to re-raise the flag.