Shannon “SJ” Joslin, 35, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, was terminated for “failing to demonstrate acceptable conduct.”
A park ranger was fired last week for hanging a 66-foot-wide transgender pride flag on Yosemite National Park's iconic El Capitan rock formation in California. The unauthorized act that occurred back in May violated park regulations, officials said, citing the reason for the ranger's termination.
Shannon "SJ" Joslin, 35, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, decided to hang the flag in a personal act of protest against recent executive orders from President Donald Trump, including orders that prohibits child sex change procedures and reversing federal law to exclude gender identity as a sex.
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View on X"I was really hurting because there were a lot of policies coming from the current administration that target trans people, and I'm nonbinary," Joslin told the Associated Press, adding that hanging the flag was her way of saying, “We're all safe in national parks.”
Joslin, a biologist, received a termination letter last week that stated the ranger failed to "demonstrate acceptable conduct," citing the May 20 incident. Joslin was among a group of protesters, including two other park rangers, who hung the pink, blue, and white trans pride flag on the famous climbing wall, which was displayed for roughly two hours before it was taken down voluntarily.
"If you're a federal worker and you have any kind of identity that doesn't agree with this current administration, then you must be silent, or you will be eliminated," Joslin told reporters.
On May 21, the day after the flag hanging, Acting Superintendent Ray McPadden signed a rule prohibiting banners, flags, or signs larger than 15 square feet from being hung in areas designated as "wilderness" or "potential wilderness," which covers roughly 94 percent of the park, as stated on Yosemite's website.
Yosemite Park officials announced on Tuesday that they are collaborating with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate potential criminal charges against individuals who allegedly violated park rules.
National Park Service spokesperson Rachel Pawlitz said that the agencies "are pursuing administrative action against several Yosemite National Park employees and possibly criminal charges against several park visitors who are alleged to have violated federal laws and regulations related to demonstrations."
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