Schumer to Introduce Pride Flag Authorization Bill

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York announced on Sunday that he plans to introduce federal legislation designating the Pride flag as a congressionally authorized symbol, granting it the same protections as the U.S. flag, military service flags, and POW/MIA flags on federal property. The move comes in direct response to the Trump administration's recent removal of the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City, a site central to LGBTQ history.

The dispute originated earlier this month when the Department of the Interior issued a memo directing national parks to remove non-agency flags from federal sites to enforce uniform standards. As a result, the Pride flag was taken down from a flagpole outside the Stonewall Inn, part of the monument designated in 2016. The National Park Service stated that under governmentwide guidance, only the U.S. flag, the department's flag, and congressionally authorized flags are permitted on managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions. The agency emphasized that changes to flag displays aim to ensure consistency with these policies.

Following public backlash, the Pride flag was reinstalled outside the Stonewall Inn,...