Ranger fired for hanging transgender flag in Yosemite and park visitors may face prosecution
Source: AP
By MATTHEW BROWN and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM
Updated 11:03 PM CDT, August 19, 2025
A Yosemite National Park ranger was fired after hanging a pride flag from El Capitan while some park visitors could face prosecution under protest restrictions that have been tightened under President Donald Trump.
Shannon SJ Joslin, a ranger and biologist who studies bats, said they hung a 66-foot wide transgender pride flag on the famous climbing wall that looms over the California parks main thoroughfare for about two hours on May 20 before taking it down voluntarily. A termination letter they received last week accused Joslin of failing to demonstrate acceptable conduct in their capacity as a biologist and cited the May incident.
I was really hurting because there were a lot of policies coming from the current administration that target trans people, and Im nonbinary, Joslin, 35, told The Associated Press, adding that hanging the flag was their way of saying, Were all safe in national parks.
Joslin said their firing sends the opposite message: If youre a federal worker and you have any kind of identity that doesnt agree with this current administration, then you must be silent, or you will be eliminated.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/yosemite-ranger-fired-demonstrations-pride-flag-2cf7e3d5af7f99857b968342634a6d68

Nigrum Cattus
(942 posts)repugs are all trogldytes
GreenWave
(11,372 posts)TommyT139
(1,767 posts)ultralite001
(2,017 posts)lives were lost.
Was it a death sentence???
TommyT139
(1,767 posts)hildegaard28
(756 posts)Will be tossed out on 1st Amendment grounds. Trump can charge felonies all he wants, but judges and juries will still follow the law.
ultralite001
(2,017 posts)Let them come + take it down... It looks like a challenge way beyond their skill set...
niyad
(126,538 posts)TommyT139
(1,767 posts)I haven't kept up with the latest "protest restrictions." Also, who knows but some pitons were set, or larger anchors, which would turn into vandalism of federal property or some such.
First Amendment protections for protesters ain't what they used to be. And Trump has been stuffing judges into robes as fast as he's been able to, despite Biden's admirable progress.
For instance, a trans pride flag might be recast as who knows, terrorism, or pornography.
So...we'll see.
twodogsbarking
(15,301 posts)Hillary is a smart human. Smarter that I, and most.
hunter
(39,846 posts)Our fuckwit king and all his fuckwit followers can take a hike.
usonian
(19,975 posts)
A permanent YNP employee was fired last week for displaying the trans flag, in direct violation of the 1st Amendment.
In response, folks are mobilizing to rally and protest for Sunday, 8/24, 12:30pm-3:30pm, in Yosemite Valley.
ultralite001
(2,017 posts)A worthy cause...
Mblaze
(689 posts)Puppyjive
(803 posts)The next administration (democratic) will restore your soul and make you whole. I have to believe this.
Wonder Why
(6,112 posts)The ranger knew or should have known that placing such things on National Monuments, no matter how noble, is offensive to those who want to preserve the Monuments in their natural state. Such signs belong in front of Repug offices, Congress, state houses, places frequented by the hate groups, etc. Even placing it such that it doesn't affect the Monument's or Park's primary objects of creation would, IMHO, be acceptable.
I think the termination of the Ranger would be justified given that other Rangers doing similar things were also treated in a similar manner.
As to the other participants, considering they removed it voluntarily and did no permanent damage, a small citation and fine would be appropriate.
Now the heat comes! Doesn't it?
Mossfern
(4,282 posts)The Parks worker who hung the upside down American flag was not fired because of that.