Park ranger fired for hanging transgender pride flag in Yosemite

A California park ranger has been fired for hanging a transgender pride flag in Yosemite National Park.

The New York Post reports that Shannon “SJ” Joslin, who identifies as non-binary, was fired by the National Parks Service (NPS) on August 12.

Joslin and several other climbers hung a 20-metre-wide transgender pride flag from the iconic El Capitan cliff face on May 20.

A three-month criminal investigation into the incident concluded with Joslin’s termination from their “dream job” as a wildlife biologist.

In a post to Instagram, Joslin said Yosemite’s temporary deputy superintendent fired them for “failing to demonstrate acceptable conduct”.

But they said others had hung flags off El Capitan for decades, suggesting only their group was punished for the act.

Shannon "SJ" Joslin was fired after hanging a pride flag from El Capitan. Photo / @shannonekj

“No part of hanging the flag was done on work time. NOTHING about it had anything to do with my work.”

The climbers were told to remove the banner after just two hours, and NPS announced a new rule banning large flags the next day.

“I want my rights and I want my career back,” Joslin wrote in the post.

The NPS confirmed that several employees were facing administrative action “for failing to follow National Park Service regulations”.

A spokesperson said there were “possible criminal charges against several park visitors who are alleged to have violated federal laws and regulations related to demonstrations”.

The Trump administration has introduced a host of policies attacking transgender rights since his second term began in January.

Joslin told The Associated Press they hung the flag “because there were a lot of policies coming from the current administration that target trans people”.

They were inspired by Trump’s executive order banning transgender competitors from women’s sports.

The flag was meant to communicate that “we’re all safe in national parks”.