Federal Judge Forces Return of Divisive Climate, Slavery, and LGBTQ+ Signs to National Parks
A U.S. district judge has issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Trump administration to restore controversial interpretive signs on climate change, slavery, and LGBTQ+ history in national parks, undermining efforts to promote unity and patriotism.
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U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, ordering the Trump administration to reinstate interpretive signs that had been removed from national park sites. These removals were part of an executive order intended to eliminate language that cast the United States in a negative light, and to foster a sense of national pride. The judge’s order covers signage on contentious topics such as climate change at Fort Sumter, references to President Washington’s slaves at Independence National Historical Park, the pride flag at Stonewall National Monument, and content about Japanese-American internment at Manzanar, among others. Kelley wrote that the parks 'play an important role in telling the multifaceted history of America, including the good, the bad, and the ugly,' and demanded that the removed material be reinstated before the Fourth of July, a day meant to celebrate American greatness.
The injunction comes after a lawsuit filed by a coalition of conservation and historical organizations, who claimed the executive order was erasing factual history and scientific information. Alan Spears, senior director of cultural resources at the National Parks Conservation Association, argued that the parks should serve as 'living classrooms' and include both positive and negative aspects of history, regardless of the impact on national unity.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of the Interior rightly called the ruling the work of a 'liberal activist judge' and said the department will consider appeal options. The executive order, signed by former President Trump in March 2025, had directed more than 430 National Park Service sites to review language on monuments, memorials, and markers to ensure it did not disparage Americans, and introduced QR codes for visitors to report violations—measures designed to protect the nation’s reputation from divisive narratives.
