Yosemite worker fired for hanging trans pride flag on El Capitan sues National Park Service

A former Yosemite employee is suing the federal government for alleged unlawful termination, arguing that their dismissal last year for hanging a transgender pride flag from El Capitan violated their constitutional rights. 

Shannon “SJ” Joslin, a wildlife biologist who uses they/them pronouns, received a termination notice from the National Park Service in August, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C. The firing came roughly three months after Joslin and a group of climbers draped a large, pink, blue and white striped flag — a symbol of trans pride — from the California park’s most iconic rock formation.

Joslin, who was a park ranger at Yosemite for nearly five years, has said the flag was hung outside of work hours. It aimed to celebrate the transgender community amid mounting political attacks from the Trump administration, attorneys said in court filings.

“This administration is targeting Dr. Joslin because it wants to scare people into silence,” Joanna Citron Day, an attorney representing Joslin, said in a statement. “Dr. Joslin exercised their First Amendment rights and is being punished to send a clear message—speech the administration doesn’t like will not be tolerated.”

Attorneys are looking to have Joslin immediately reinstated to the National Park Service, which is among the defendants listed in the lawsuit. Others include the park service’s parent agency, the Department of the Interior, as well as the Department of Justice, and the heads of each of them.

A spokesperson for the National Park Service told CBS News in a statement that the agency does not “comment on the specifics of personnel actions.” It also said it “will not tolerate violations of laws and regulations that impact those resources and experiences.” 

“Yosemite National Park was designated by Congress to highlight the beautiful natural and cultural features of the area,” the spokesperson said. “No matter the cause, demonstrating without a permit outside of designated First-Amendment areas detracts from the visitor experience and the protection of the park. To safeguard the protection of visitors, visitor experiences, and park resources, many demonstrations require a permit.”

CBS News has reached out to the Justice and Interior departments for comment.  

Joslin’s termination notice said they had “failed to demonstrate acceptable conduct” while still a probationary employee of the National Park Service, just weeks before their probation period ended. It cited regulations prohibiting demonstrations on Yosemite grounds, outside of certain locations that are designated “First Amendment areas.” 

Joslin also faced a criminal investigation, according to the lawsuit, escalating what their attorneys called a “vindictive campaign” that violated the biologist’s rights to free expression under the First Amendment, as well as their rights to privacy. 

The lawsuit questions the Park Service’s definition of Joslin’s conduct as a “demonstration,” although it notes that activism is an integral part of the history of Yosemite. The park is widely considered the birthplace of American environmental advocacy and climbers on El Capitan have raised flags for numerous political and social causes in the past. It asks the judge to find that regulations were “selectively enforced” in this case, because the flag is seen as a challenge to the Trump administration’s stance on trans rights.

“If Dr. Joslin had hung a flag the administration liked, they would be working at Yosemite today,” said Clayton Bailey, another attorney on Joslin’s case. “That reality is totally antithetical to the basic First Amendment freedoms promised to everyone.”

Yosemite’s current policies include regulations banning large banners, flags or signs displayed in the wilderness without a permit, as well as rules governing demonstrations within the park. Demonstrations require permits if they involve more than 25 people or are held outside one of the park’s “designated free speech locations.” 

Those regulations appeared in a version of the park’s policy book dated May 20, 2025, the same day Joslin and the group of climbers hung the flag from El Capitan. It was electronically signed by the park’s acting superintendent on May 21, 2025. An earlier version, which was dated May 22, 2024, appeared on the Yosemite website as recently as May 1 of last year, and did not include regulations related to banners or flags.