Trump administration derides Stonewall National Monument flag-raising ceremony as 'political stunt'

"The Department of the Interior, the agency which includes the National Park Service (NPS), told Gay City News the flag-raising ceremony was a "political stunt" and "a distraction" from the city's "recent deadly failures." The statement came after elected officials convened a 4 p.m. flag-raising ceremony on Feb. 12 at the Stonewall National Monument, where a large crowd gathered around the flagpole."

"Instead, the agency said, "it would be a better use of [the city's] time to get the trash buildup off city streets, ensure there are no more avoidable deaths, and work to keep the power on for the people of New York City." "Today's political pageantry shows how utterly incompetent and misaligned the New York City officials are with the problems their city is facing," the statement added."

The National Park Service removed a Rainbow Flag from the Stonewall National Monument flagpole on federal land. Three days later, elected officials and activists held a flag-raising ceremony at the monument, where activists ultimately installed and raised the flag. The Department of the Interior labeled the ceremony a "political stunt" and "a distraction," and criticized New York City leadership while linking the event to recent power outages, deaths, and trash buildup. The agency asserted that federal agencies followed longstanding federal flag policy, an assertion that proved to be false.

Read at Gay City News