Federal Rulebook Says Pride Flag Not Congress-Approved, Who Knew Stonewall Needed Approval?
KEY POINTS
- •New York officials removed the Pride flag from Stonewall National Monument after national park rules tightened on flag displays.
- •Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal called the act an outrage and vowed to raise the flag again on Thursday.
- •The National Park Service cited a January 2026 memo restricting flags to only U.S. or authorized ones, ignoring narrow historical exemptions.
In a stunning display of federal bureaucratic precision, New York's Stonewall National Monument—the official birthplace of modern queer rights—had its pride flag yanked off the pole. The culprits? National Park Service, apparently adhering to a government-wide memo from January 21, 2026, which bans all flags except the U.S. flag or bureaucrat-approved banners, despite a tiny loophole for 'historical context' flags. Meanwhile, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal called this a 'double outrage,' implying that the current bosses have a smorgasbord of minorities they're trying to anger, LGBTQ included. The flag removal was reported Monday, but NPS ghosted Axios on the exact timing, as the Interior Department perfected their no-comment Houdini act. Stonewall’s trans founders got quietly erased from the site last year, and NY State Sen. Erik Bottcher is ready to raise the flag again on Thursday, promising protests 'in the spirit of 1969'—because nothing says federal erasure like a queer rebellion sequel. This all happens amid a nationwide purge ordered to 'eradicate corrosive ideology', proving that history lessons can be canceled faster than your favorite TV show.
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When the government decides queer history is too controversial, so they throw Pride flags under the bus faster than your last group chat ghosting.
Congrats, Feds: You've officially turned Stonewall into 'Stonewall-ish'—now with 100% less rainbow and 200% more erasure.
Federal parks’ new motto: 'Only flags approved by bored bureaucrats. Historical significance sold separately.' Stonewall, wonder where you went?
Source: Axios | Published: 2/10/2026 | Author: Avery Lotz
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