For a brief moment this week, the rainbow disappeared from the Stonewall National Monument. The Pride flag was removed after the Trump administration applied federal flag policy at national sites. Officials described it as a procedural decision. For many LGBTQIA+ people, it felt deeply symbolic. Taking down the rainbow at Stonewall touched a nerve, because this is where the modern queer movement ignited in 1969.
The response was swift. More than 2,000 people gathered in Greenwich Village to stand for visibility and history. Activists, neighbours, elected officials and allies filled the streets with chants and colour. When replacing the flag proved complicated, participants tied rainbow banners alongside the Stars and Stripes, making it clear that queer history is inseparable from the broader national story.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined the crowd, criticising the removal and affirming Stonewall’s place in collective memory.
And now, the rainbow is flying again.
Its return is more than a visual correction. It is a reminder that visibility can be challenged but not erased. Symbols still matter. When history is tested, people show up. And when we show up together, colour always finds its way back into the sky.
KET Magazine is a community‑driven, non‑profit magazine run by volunteers based in Brussels. Get in touch to share your thoughts or tell us about your activities. You can also promote your events on our website or support our work with a donation. Contact us at Info@ket.brussels.
You may also like
-
Garden Party de la Maison Arc-en-Ciel de Liège
Liège’s Maison Arc-en-Ciel is bringing back its annual Garden Party on Saturday 5 September 2026.
-
IGLYO Wants to Hear From You: Europe’s Biggest LGBTQI School Survey Is Back
IGLYO, the Brussels-based international LGBTQI youth network, has just launched the second edition of its
-
Back To Brussels? BGS Is The LGBTQI+ Sports Community Waiting To Meet You
September means fresh starts, new routines and, for a lot of people landing in Brussels
-
Sensuelle: A Softer Space to Explore Desire, Connection and Self-Expression
Sensuelle is creating warm, women-centred spaces where sensuality can be explored without performance pressure, shame
-
Freedom & the pleasure to challenge yourself: the underground scene by CAIÃO
Techno, electronic, and baile funk collide with a unique stage presence that pulls us in!