Lambda Legal today released Flying Our Flag, Protecting Our History, a roundtable discussion film documenting our fight to restore the Pride flag to the Stonewall National Monument. The full film is now available at https://lambdalegal.org/stories-from-stonewall/.
The release of the full film also marks the completion of Stories from Stonewall, the companion short-form video series featuring Equality New York members Tanya Asapansa-Walker, Melissa Sklarz, Eunic Epstein-Ortiz, and Eve Epstein-Ortiz, and Gilbert Baker Foundation board member Catherine Marino-Thomas. Each video features a participant sharing a personal story and connection to Stonewall.
Both projects grow out of Lambda Legal and Washington Litigation Group’s settlement in Gilbert Baker Foundation v. U.S. Department of the Interior, secured on April 13, 2026, which required the National Park Service to permanently restore the Pride flag to the Stonewall National Monument, the first national monument in the United States dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights and history. In February 2026, the federal government removed the flag from the monument without notice or explanation. Lambda Legal and Washington Litigation Group filed suit just eight days later on behalf of plaintiffs Gilbert Baker Foundation, Charles Beal, Village Preservation, and Equality New York.
On April 28, 2026, Lambda Legal brought together Equality New York members Tanya Asapansa-Walker, Melissa Sklarz, Eunic Epstein-Ortiz, and Eve Epstein-Ortiz, along with Catherine Marino-Thomas, a board member of the Gilbert Baker Foundation, for a roundtable discussion at Lambda Legal’s New York headquarters. The group then traveled to the Stonewall National Monument, where each participant was filmed individually and asked to share a personal story and connection to Stonewall.
“Stonewall is not just a monument. It is a testament to the courage of the people who fought there and a promise to every LGBTQ+ person who comes after them,” said Nephetari Smith, Tyron Garner Legal Fellow, Lambda Legal. “When the Trump Administration removed that flag, they were trying to erase that promise. This film is a reminder that that promise is unbreakable.”
Resources
- Campaign page, full film and short-form video series: lambdalegal.org/stories-from-stonewall
- Case page: lambdalegal.org/case/gilbert-baker-foundation-v-us-department-of-the-interior