Res. No. 500
Resolution calling on the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, H.R.7659/S.3911, designating the Pride flag as an authorized flag eligible for display at units of the National Park System, including the Stonewall National Monument
By Council Members Hudson, Ossé, Schulman, J. Sanchez, Cabán and Louis
Whereas, A January 21, 2026, memo from the United States (U.S.) Department of the Interior (DOI), which governs the National Park Service (NPS), stated that “only the U.S. Flag, flags of the DOI, and the POW/MIA flag will be flown by the NPS” in spaces that the NPS manages; and
Whereas, This memo was the cause for the Trump administration’s recent removal of the historic Pride flag from its flagpole at the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village in New York City (NYC) on the grounds that the Pride flag is not one of the authorized flags; and
Whereas, The Pride flag’s removal was followed by protests and outrage from the LGBTQIA+ community and other concerned New Yorkers, leading to local activists and elected officials re-raising the flag on February 12, 2026, in defiance of Trump administration mandates; and
Whereas, The Pride flag’s removal was the most recent attack on the Stonewall National Monument by the Trump administration, which had previously called for eliminating the idea of gender identity from federal programs, projects, and sites and which had, consequently, stripped the Stonewall National Monument’s website of any mention of transgender individuals, along with removing the “T” and “Q” from “LGBTQ” references; and
Whereas, As a result of the Pride flag’s removal, H.R.7659, sponsored by U.S. Representative (Rep.) Dan Goldman, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on February 24, 2026, and S.3911, sponsored by U.S. Senator (Sen.) Charles Schumer, was introduced in the U.S. Senate on February 25, 2026; and
Whereas, As stated in these bills, the Stonewall National Monument commemorates the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in June 1969 “in response to a targeted police attack and longstanding discrimination against the LGBTQ community” that took place at a “critical moment in the modern fight for LGBTQ rights”; and
Whereas, As stated in these bills, the Stonewall National Monument was established on June 24, 2016, as the first monument in the National Park System “dedicated to the protection of LGBTQ individuals and the ongoing fight for freedom” in the U.S. and now “serves as a daily reminder not only to the LGBTQ community,” but also to all those who live in or visit NYC of the long fight for freedom waged by members of that community; and
Whereas, The stated purposes of these bills are “to designate the Pride flag as an authorized flag eligible for display at units of the National Park System,” “to condemn the removal of the Pride flag at Stonewall National Monument,” and “to express the sense of Congress that the Pride flag should be restored at Stonewall National Monument”; and
Whereas, In a statement released by Sen. Schumer on February 15, 2026, Sen. Schumer noted that “New Yorkers are right to be outraged, but if there’s one thing I know about the latest attempt to rewrite history, stoke division and discrimination, and erase our community pride, it’s this: New Yorkers will see to the flag’s return and we will ensure it remains”; and
Whereas, The Association of National Park Rangers, along with other groups, filed a lawsuit alleging that the Trump administration is removing or changing materials at the national parks related to “history and science,” noting that the park rangers see their job as preserving the complete and accurate story of the history of the U.S.; and
Whereas, Rep. Goldman concurred, saying that “[w]e will not let Donald Trump erase history”; and
Whereas, Sen. Schumer also remarked that “Stonewall is sacred ground and Congress must act now to permanently protect the Pride flag and what it stands for”; and
Whereas, The New York City Council previously approved Resolution Number 269 on February 12, 2026, which called on the U.S. Congress to respect the true history and significance of national park sites, including the Stonewall National Monument; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, H.R.7659/S.3911, designating the Pride flag as an authorized flag eligible for display at units of the National Park System, including the Stonewall National Monument.
LS #22135
3/23/2026
RHP