For New Yorkers, Stonewall’s new Pride flag is only step one

As local leaders raised a new Pride flag at Stonewall Thursday afternoon, Kiki Ball-Change watched through sunglasses, bundled up in a matching fur coat. Replacing it was one piece of the puzzle, she said. More important was that hundreds of people rallied against the federal crackdown on LGBTQ civil liberties.

“It’s bigger than a flag,” said the drag queen. “What we’re seeing now is the community coming together to say that, regardless of how you feel about the flag, we will not accept the constant chipping away of our rights.”

President Donald Trump recently banned Pride flags and other non-government symbols from being displayed on certain federal property. That included Stonewall National Monument, where riots against police raids in 1969 paved the way for the modern gay rights movement.

Kiki Ball-Change poses outside Stonewall Inn on Feb. 12, 2026.Jack Walker for The Advocate

Stonewall’s flag was removed Tuesday, but with swift blowback. Two days later, hundreds rallied at the site as local leaders unveiled a new Pride flag.

Related: Hundreds fill the streets near Stonewall as NYC community members reraised Pride flag Trump ordered removed

Like Kiki Ball-Change, several LGBTQ activists told The Advocate Thursday they would double down on organizing against Trump, with the flag’s removal symbolizing the stakes for the LGBTQ community.

“This is sacred ground,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “This is a fight that people aren’t giving up. It reminds me that we got us. If the government’s going to fail us, we are going to fill the gap. That’s always been the role of queer and trans folks.”

Robinson said her group has advocated against anti-LGBTQ policies from the federal government, and provides resources to educators, families and others to promote LGBTQ inclusion. The group will also be urging people to vote in November’s midterm election, she said.

Leaders carry the LGBTQ+ Pride flag to be reraised at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City. Jack Walker for The Advocate

The upcoming elections were a focal point for other organizers, too. That included Tyler Hack, who is executive director of the Christopher Street Project — a political action committee founded in 2025 to elect pro-trans officials to Congress.

“We also want to make sure that we do the work to flip those seats in November,” they said. To “ensure that we have a majority in Congress that is not beholden to the Trump administration and their anti-trans crusade.”

In the meantime, Hack said the group is promoting pro-trans legislation like the Transgender Bill of Rights and a 988 suicide prevention act for LGBTQ+ youth.

Related: What can we expect in American politics in 2026?

Beyond policy change, other community leaders called for renewed focus on the material needs of LGBTQ people. Im Lynde, executive director of New York City Pride, said his organization engages in year-round advocacy for the LGBTQ community. The group conducts fundraising and each year offers grants to local LGBTQ-serving nonprofits, according to its website.

“It's a 365-day movement,” Lynde said. “It's not just something that happens in June and then we disappear.”

Onlookers rally outside Stonewall Inn as a new Pride flag is raised. Jack Walker for The Advocate

Councilmember Chi Ossé sponsored a resolution opposing the flag removal that passed the New York City Council Thursday. At city hall on Thursday, he contextualized the fight to uphold LGBTQ rights in a broader effort to protect personal freedoms and quality of life.

“What we should be doing as queer members of the city council, and as a city council as a whole, is making sure that we’re actually protecting the bodies of our neighbors,” Ossé said. “Making sure they have gender-affirming care. … Protecting most especially our trans siblings, and ensuring that they have affordable housing.”

Kei Williams is executive director of the NEW Pride Agenda, a New York-based LGBTQ advocacy group. At Thursday’s protest, they said that their group has been rallying against anti-LGBTQ federal policies more broadly, like removing mentions of trans identity from historical sites and government websites.

“It's super important that at this point in time we stand for our values, but we also show up visibly,” Williams said. “If you have hundreds of folks who are out here on a chillier day, I understand that this moment really matters to our community.”

This article was written as part of the Future of Queer Media fellowship program at The Advocate, which is underwritten by a generous gift from Morrison Media Group. The program helps support the next generation of LGBTQ+ journalists.