Park ranger fired for hanging trans pride flag sues Interior Department
Source: The Hill
02/23/26 6:20 PM ET
A former National Park Service (NPS) ranger who was fired last year for hanging a transgender pride flag in Yosemite National Park sued multiple federal agencies Monday over their termination, arguing it violated their First Amendment rights.
The lawsuit, filed by Dr. Shannon “SJ” Joslin in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said NPS and the Department of Justice (DOJ) targeted them for unfurling a transgender pride flag on El Capitan, a rock formation in Yosemite known as “El Cap,” on their day off last May.
That day, Joslin — who is nonbinary and goes by they/them pronouns — hung the flag alongside other climbers, including NPS employees. The 26-page complaint says that Joslin’s colleagues “assured them that so long as they were not on duty when participating, they would have their full First Amendment rights, which they factored into the scheduling of the display.”
Joslin and the other climbers removed the flag less than three hours after hanging it up. Days later, NPS informed Joslin they were under investigation, including a criminal probe. Joslin has not been informed that this investigation has concluded. Shortly thereafter, Joslin was fired, with their notice of termination citing “only a regulation prohibiting demonstrations outside of designated protest areas—a charge that, on information and belief, had never been applied to or enforced for conduct like Dr. Joslin’s.”
Read more: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5751543-ranger-sues-nps-trans-pride/
Link to SUIT (PDF) - https://peer.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2_23_26-Joslin-v-DOI-Complaint.pdf
REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143515852