“I Want My Job Back”: Yosemite Biologist Fired for Displaying Trans Pride Flag on El Cap

Shannon “SJ” Joslin was fired from Yosemite for helping rig a trans pride flag on El Capitan. They're calling it a First Amendment violation.

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SJ Joslin working in Yosemite. (Photo: Miya Tsudome. Courtesy of SJ Joslin)

This is a developing story and will be updated periodically with more information.

Last Tuesday, Yosemite wildlife biologist Shannon “SJ” Joslin was called into a meeting with Danika Globokar, acting deputy superintendent of Yosemite National Park. A law enforcement ranger was also present.

Dr. Joslin, who holds a PhD in genomics, soon found out why. Globokar handed them a letter, which said that the Yosemite bat expert was being terminated for “failure to demonstrate acceptable conduct” because they had helped fly a trans pride flag on El Capitan on May 20.

According to Dr. Joslin’s account of the termination letter, the flag display violated 36 CFR § 2.51, a National Park Service (NPS) rule against any demonstrations that take place outside of designated park areas for First Amendment activities.

Dr. Joslin was shocked that termination was the first response to this. They told Climbing, “I looked at the rubric for recommended disciplinary action for if you have a demonstration outside of a First Amendment zone, and the recommendation for a first-time offense is a reprimand.”

But Dr. Joslin was not technically a permanent employee, even though they have been working in the same role, as the head of Yosemite’s Big Wall Bats program, for four years. “They got me in a loophole,” they said. “When I transferred into my career seasonal position, I was a disability hire, so I have a two-year probationary period instead of one.” Their probation was set to end on September 10, just 29 days later.

The NPS confirmed that they are “pursuing administrative action against NPS employees in Yosemite National Park for failing to follow NPS regulations.” Their spokesperson declined to comment on Joslin’s case.

About the El Cap trans flag display

The May 20 flag display, which included Dr. Joslin, environmental activist Pattie Gonia, and five other trans climbers and allies, lasted for about two hours on a Tuesday morning. From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the flag billowed 15 to 20 feet away from El Capitan on Heart Ledges, about one-third of the way up. It did not block any climbers. Joslin adds they were not on duty and not in uniform when they assisted with the rigging.

“We want to make sure that trans people know they’re welcome outdoors,” Dr. Joslin told Climbing at the time about the motivation for the display. They called it a celebration, not a protest, and said that they didn’t necessarily disagree with people who said El Cap shouldn’t be a community message board. “If there were rules saying that we couldn’t hang a flag from El Cap, then we wouldn’t have hung a flag from El Cap,” they explained.

The timeline of the Yosemite flag ban

The day after the flag display, the Yosemite Superintendent’s Compendium was updated with a new clause that banned flag displays. Specifically, the new rule stated that no person or group may “hang or otherwise affix to any natural or cultural feature, or display so as to cover any natural or cultural feature, any banner, flag, or sign larger than 15 square feet (e.g., five feet by three feet).”

The update is dated May 20—the same day as the flag display—but the digital signature on page one shows that the Acting Superintendent signed it into effect on May 21.

“I’m going to try and fight this thing”

Dr. Joslin was in the midst of turning in their badges when they spoke with Climbing. “I’m going to try and fight this thing and get my job back,” they said. “I don’t make a lot of money in the federal government; I don’t really have a large means to hang onto.”

In a press release from Dr. Joslin, the ex-employee wrote that their dismissal is in direct conflict with President Trump’s recent Executive Order 14149, “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship,” which was signed on January 20. The order mandates that no federal government officer, employee, or agent “engages in or facilitates” any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.

“In my eyes, I should have First Amendment rights as a private citizen,” explained dr. Joslin. “Nothing that I did [regarding the flag] was on work time or associated with work. I don’t know how my conduct as a wildlife biologist has any ties to this at all.”

Pattie Gonia, who added to the press release, said that Dr. Joslin’s firing is “a targeted move by the Trump administration to silence voices that hold viewpoints different than their own.”

In the meantime, Dr. Joslin plans to seek legal counsel. “My firing isn’t just about one ranger,” they wrote. “It’s about whether everyone has the right to speak freely in the United States.” Their supporters have launched a GoFundMe for their bills, groceries, and potential legal fees.