National Park Service to fly Pride flag after settlement

The Trump administration reached a settlement agreement on Monday to restore the rainbow Pride flag outside the Stonewall National Monument in New York City. Trump officials stopped flying the flag outside the LGBTQ monument in February, prompting several advocacy groups to sue. Federal prosecutors reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit filed by Lambda Legal and Washington Litigation Group. Government officials had earlier argued that National Park Service policy required the flag’s removal. Meanwhile, many corporate businesses have retreated from recognizing Pride Month in recent years.

What does the settlement include? The government agreed to return the rainbow flag to the flagpole outside the monument within a week, where it will be permanently maintained. The settlement also affirmed that flying the Pride flag was well within federal law and National Park Service policy, Lamba Legal noted. The Pride flag will fly beneath the American flag and beside the park service flag, per official policy.

Manhattan borough president Brad Hoylman-Sigal released a Monday video message celebrating the settlement. Trump backed down and the rainbow flag will continue being flown with pride, Hoylman-Sigal said. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer also released a Monday statement characterizing the settlement as being forced.

How has the National Park Service responded? WORLD reached out to the park service for comment and did not receive a timely response. 

Dig deeper: Read Kevin DeYoung’s column about the history of the Stonewall riots and the LGBTQ quest to turn a moral argument into an emotive appeal for affirmation and acceptance.