Secretary Doug Burgum
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240
Administrator Ed Forst
General Services Administration
1800 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20405
Dear Secretary Burgum and Administrator Forst,
We write to follow up on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s new directives restricting the display of non-agency flags within the National Park Service. The directive led to the removal of the LGBTQIA+ Pride flag – itself a historic artifact – at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City.
It is our understanding that the policy provides limited exceptions for non-agency flags that provide historical context or play a role in historic reenactments. Simply put, we urge you to grant this flag an exception and raise it once again, immediately.
New York City, and specifically the Stonewall Inn, is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The Stonewall National Monument and its LGBTQIA+ Pride flag commemorate this history. It also serves as an important reminder to the 30+ million LGBTQ+ Americans, who continue to face disproportionate threats to our lives and our liberty, that the sites and symbols that tell our stories are worth honoring.
The Park Service notes that the site’s historical significance would be maintained. However, given recent removals of the site’s references to transgender and bisexual people – people who irrefutably played a pivotal role in this history — it is clear that this is not about the preservation of the historical record.
The history and the legacy of Stonewall must live on. Our community cannot simply be erased with the removal of a flag. We will continue to stand up and fight to ensure that LGBTQ+ history should not only be protected — it should be celebrated as a milestone in American resilience and progress.
Im Lynde, Executive Director, NYC Pride
Board of Directors, NYC Pride
Chris McCain, Executive Director, Atlanta Pride
Ryan Bos, CEO and President, Capital Pride Alliance
Board of Directors, Capital Pride Alliance
Dolores Wilk, Executive Director, Central Arkansas Pride
Board of Directors, Christopher Street West Association/LA Pride
Edwin Ivey, Executive Director, Connecticut Pride
Dr. Richard Stillson, Founder, Connecticut Pride
Board of Directors, Jersey Pride, Inc.
Carol Coombes, Director of Grants & Cultural Affairs, Miami Beach Pride
Wes Shaver, President & CEO, Milwaukee Pride
Charles Tinsley, President/Director, OutNEA
Jeremiah L Hance,Executive Director, Ozark Pride Inc.
Jasmine Sullivan Waits, Executive Director, Palm Springs Pride
Tyrell Brown, Founder/CEO, Philly Pride 365
Board of Directors, PRIDEChicago
Derrick Jones, Executive Director, Pride Lafayette Indiana
Suzanne Ford, Executive Director, San Francisco Pride
Densil Porteous, Executive Director, Stonewall Columbus
Madonna Cacciatore, Interim Executive Director, San Diego Pride
KishaLynn Elliott, Executive Director, San Diego Pride
Board of Directors, San Diego Pride
Andi Otto, Executive Director, Twin Cities Pride
Cristal Robinson, President, Union County Pride
Chad Call, Executive Director, Utah Pride
