The federal government agreed Monday to allow the rainbow Pride flag to fly permanently at the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan, reversing its February removal of the symbol. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by nonprofits led by the Gilbert Baker Foundation, which created the iconic rainbow flag in 1978.

The flag's quiet removal in February sparked fierce backlash from LGBTQ New Yorkers and elected officials who saw it as an attack on the symbolic birthplace of the gay rights movement. Hundreds rallied at the site, and officials raised a Pride flag in defiance, which has flown there informally since.

This reversal deals a blow to the Trump administration's nationwide campaign against diversity initiatives. The National Park Service has also removed references to transgender individuals from the monument's website, eliminated climate change displays at Muir Woods, and banned Pride flags at U.S. embassies globally.

Under the settlement, the government must permanently restore the flag to the official flagpole within seven days, alongside the American flag and National Park Service flag. "The Pride flag belongs at Stonewall," said Alexander Kristofcak, lead lawyer for the plaintiffs. "It will fly officially and permanently."