The National Park Service has fired a wildlife biologist at Yosemite National Park who helped drape a large transgender pride flag from El Capitan in May, saying that the demonstration had taken place in a prohibited area and lacked the required permits.

The former employee, Shannon Joslin, 35, who studies bats and has a doctorate in genetics, received a termination letter from the Park Service on Aug. 12.

In the letter, the park’s acting deputy superintendent, Danika Globokar, wrote that Joslin, who is gay and identifies as nonbinary, had “failed to demonstrate acceptable conduct” by taking part in the May 20 demonstration.

New Rule Signed Day After Demonstration

On May 21, the park’s acting superintendent signed a new rule outlawing the display of large flags, banners and signs at El Capitan — the park’s iconic cliff — and most of the California park altogether. The move coincided with a broader push by the federal government to limit political demonstrations on public lands, especially those critical of the policies of the Trump administration.

The ban was included in a Park Service compendium of regulations that was dated May 20 and came after a series of widely publicized protests at El Capitan.

With less than a month to go of a two-year probationary status as a federal employee, Joslin was being dismissed, the Parks Service said, according to the letter, portions of which Joslin read to The New York Times.

Joslin said in an interview Friday that the new rule had yet to go into effect when several climbers scaled El Capitan with the transgender pride flag, and that the group had not been aware of the pending ban. The demonstration occurred during Joslin’s personal time, said the biologist, who had a four-day workweek of 10-hour shifts and lives in Folsom, California.

“Everything that I did was off the clock and had absolutely nothing to do with my capacity working for the National Park Service,” Joslin said. “I think that the administration is using me as a sign to tell all of the other federal employees that they have to be silent and comply or they will be eliminated.”

Will Criminal Charges Be Filed?

On Monday, a spokesperson for the Park Service said that the agency and Justice Department were pursuing administrative action against several Yosemite National Park employees and possible criminal charges against several park visitors who were alleged to have violated federal laws and regulations related to demonstrations.

The spokesperson, Rachel Pawlitz, said that the Parks Service would not comment about personnel actions or criminal investigations.

“Several unauthorized demonstrations involving El Capitan generated numerous complaints from visitors,” Pawlitz said. “Yosemite National Park was designated by Congress to highlight the beautiful natural and cultural features of the area. No matter the cause, displaying signs, banners, and flags outside of designated First-Amendment areas detracts from the visitor experience and the protection of the park.”

The White House, which has taken punitive action against some critics of its immigration policies and pro-Palestinian activists, did not respond to a request for comment on Monday about Joslin’s dismissal.

At Yosemite, violators of the flag ban could face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for groups — penalties already in place for various offenses in the park.

February Flag Display Protested Trump Cuts to NPS

In February, before the rule took effect, a small group of protesters hung an inverted American flag — a signal of distress that began with sailors — off the side of El Capitan to protest the Trump administration’s cuts to the Park Service.

Plenty of eyes were already fixated on El Capitan for the annual phenomenon known as firefall, when the light from the setting sun causes a seasonal waterfall to glow orange.

The display occurred shortly after at least 1,000 Park Service employees were abruptly dismissed from their jobs, part of a sweeping federal workforce downsizing initiative that was once overseen by President Donald Trump’s now-estranged ally Elon Musk.

An additional 3,000 people were fired from the U.S. Forest Service, which plays a significant supporting role with the parks.

Joslin, an avid climber, suggested that tethering the trans pride flag from El Capitan could deliver a powerful message and recalled having approached two of the people who had been involved in the inverted flag demonstration about coordinating another protest.

Trans Pride Flag Flew for Two Hours

On the morning of May 20, the group went ahead with the display, unfurling the trans pride flag for about two hours, according to Joslin, who recalled being contacted by another park employee who said the flag needed to be removed. It already had been, the biologist said.

“We made sure that no part of the flag would get in any kind of way of any climbers trying to climb the routes that go through that area,” Joslin said.

A few weeks later, in June, the Park Service said it wanted to ask questions as part of a criminal investigation into the flag display, said Joslin, who declined to answer them. But the matter wasn’t closed.

The agency scheduled a mandatory interview later in June to look into what it described as potential administrative misconduct, a proceeding that culminated with the termination letter last week, Joslin said.

In 2021, the biologist started working at Yosemite as a “COVID hire,” a position that lasted for about two years and turned into a contract role, said Joslin, who was rehired by the Park Service on a probationary basis in September 2023.

Getting to work in Yosemite was ideal, according to Joslin, who has written several climbing guidebooks.

“Yosemite,” Joslin said, “is like my whole life.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Neil Vigdor

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