Schumer Calls Trump 'An Effing Disgrace' After Pride Flag Removed From Stonewall

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday sharply criticized President Donald Trump after the pride rainbow flag was removed from New York City's Stonewall National Monument, widely regarded as the birthplace of the modern pro-LGBTQ movement.

Speaking at a press conference, Schumer invoked the June 1969 uprising at Stonewall, calling the site "sacred ground" where brave New Yorkers rose in resistance to discrimination.

"It sparked the beginning of a movement that changed America and the world forever, and we're not going back, we're not going back. The Trump administration's removal of the pride rainbow flag from the Stonewall National Monument is a deeply outrageous action that must be reversed, it's an effing disgrace."

The pride flag was hoisted again last week by local leaders and hundreds of supporters, only days after it had been removed following a federal order attributed to President Trump, local outlets reported. The rally at Stonewall drew activists and community members who vowed to keep the site's legacy visible.

Advocates say the flag removal is part of a broader slate of actions by the administration that has alarmed LGBTQ communities. On his first day back in office, President Trump signed an executive order that defines sex as male or female for federal policy purposes and directs agencies not to promote gender transition. Separately, the National Park Service's Stonewall webpage recently omitted the words 'transgender' and 'queer' from the LGBTQ acronym that had been displayed on the site.

The Hill has reached out to the Department of the Interior for comment. This story was updated at 4:01 p.m. EDT.