Yosemite Park Ranger Says Anti-LGBTQ Policies Led to Firing Over Flag

We are all well aware that we can be fired for the things we do while on the job, but one Yosemite National Park ranger is saying that they were terminated from their job for something they did while off the clock.

A ranger at Yosemite shared a post on social media saying that they were let go from their position as a ranger and biologist after hanging a flag from one of the park's mountainous outcrops, which is a place where others have hung flags in the past.

According to the post, they received an explanation about their termination when they were let go, which stated that they were terminated for “failing to demonstrate acceptable conduct” as an employee of the National Park Service (NPS). The Yosemite Park ranger claims that the real reason they were fired is because the flag they hung was the pink, blue, and white one that represents transgender pride.

Keep reading to learn more, including what charges the ranger and their friends now face.

Shannon "SJ" Joslin shared a post on Instagram about their termination, explaining how they had been fired for practicing their First Amendment right.

"In May I hung a trans flag on El Capitan that celebrated my acceptance of my identity," they wrote. "I hung the flag in my free time, off-duty, as a private citizen. It flew for a total of two hours in the morning, and then I took it down. El Capitan has had flags hung on it for decades, and no one has ever been punished for it."

Joslin went on to explain all of the times they have gone above and beyond in their work, which included volunteering for extra overtime to keep the park accessible during inclement weather, and getting extra certification and safety training so that they can assist in an emergency.

Throughout all of that, and Joslin's years of service, they wrote that they had never heard anything but praise for their work as park rangers, underscoring how their termination was based on the flag alone.

Joslin also spoke to the Associated Press about their termination, explaining why they put the flag up in the first place.

"I was really hurting because there were a lot of policies coming from the current administration that target trans people, and I’m nonbinary,” the 35-year-old told the press, adding that they hung the flag because they wanted visitors to know that everyone is welcome in the park, no matter how they identify.

A NPS spokesperson told the Associated Press that park officials have joined up with the U.S. Justice Department to investigate those they say violated federal laws by hanging the flag on the park grounds.

Joslin says that includes seven people from her group, including two other park rangers who were put on administrative leave while the investigation is underway.