Chuck Schumer pushes bill to protect Pride flag at federal level: ‘Hateful crusade must end’

WASHINGTON, DC: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is making a fresh legislative push to elevate the Pride flag’s federal standing after its recent removal from a historic LGBTQ site triggered controversy.

The Democrat from New York announced plans to introduce a bill that would make the Pride flag a congressionally authorized flag, placing it in the same category as the US flag, military flags, and POW/MIA flags recognized by Congress.

The move comes days after the Trump administration removed the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument, a landmark widely viewed as the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement. 

Chuck Schumer pushes bill to protect Pride flag

Schumer framed the legislation as both symbolic and necessary, arguing that the flag represents a core American value of equality. “Stonewall is sacred ground and Congress must act now to permanently protect the Pride flag and what it stands for,” he said. “Trump’s hateful crusade must end.”

Under his proposal, the Pride flag would receive formal congressional recognition, granting it protections similar to other federally acknowledged flags. The measure would also aim to prevent future removals like the one that sparked the current dispute. Schumer stressed that the issue goes beyond a single flagpole.

“The very core of American identity is liberty and justice for all and that is what this legislation would protect: each national park’s ability to make its own decision about what flag can be flown,” he said.

He added pointedly, “Attempts to hurt New York and the LGBTQ community simply won’t fly, but the Stonewall Pride flag always will.”

Interior directive led to Stonewall Pride flag removal

The controversy began earlier this month when the Pride flag was taken down outside the Stonewall Inn following an internal memo from the Department of the Interior.

The directive ordered that “non-agency” flags be removed from national parks. It was signed in late January by Jessica Bowron, the acting director of the National Park Service. The memo included several exceptions, such as historical flags, military flags, and federally recognized tribal flags, but the Pride flag did not fall within the protected categories.

Because the Stonewall National Monument is overseen by the National Park Service, the Pride flag atop the large flagpole outside the famous gay bar was removed under the new guidance.

Trump executive order fuels Pride flag fight

While Donald Trump has not explicitly targeted the Pride flag, he previously signed an executive order restricting which flags may be displayed on federal property to ensure the US flag is prominently flown. Schumer’s legislative push appears designed to counter the broader policy framework that allowed the removal to occur.

Notably, the Pride flag has since been reinstalled outside the Stonewall Inn, but Schumer argues that without congressional action, the symbol could again be vulnerable to future administrative changes.

The Stonewall National Monument was first designated in 2016 by former President Barack Obama, cementing its place in LGBTQ history.