A trans-identifying biologist claimed to be “devastated” after being fired from a “dream job” at Yosemite National Park over a stunt involving a massive transgender flag.
Shannon “S.J.” Joslin, 35, and several other hikers allegedly hung a massive flag over the El Capitan rock formation in May in protest against President Donald Trump’s executive orders against the transgender agenda.
‘I think that everyone as Americans should be upset about this, and it doesn’t matter who I am or what my identity is. This is a matter of free speech.’
Alleged actions have consequences, though, and Joslin was fired on Aug. 12.
Joslin isn’t taking the news well. “I’m devastated,” Joslin said, according to NBC News.
“We don’t take our positions in the park service to make money or to have any kind of huge career gains,” Joslin added. “We take it because we love the places that we work. I have a Ph.D. in bioinformatics, and I could be making a lot more money in Silicon Valley, which is only a few hours away, but I made career choices to position myself in Yosemite National Park, because this is the place that I love the most.”
Joslin said the flag had stayed up for about two hours before they were told to take it down, and no one at the time told Joslin that they had done anything wrong.
The transgender activist said the park leadership did not provide evidence that the alleged hanging of a transgender flag against the policies of the administration was a “flag demonstration.”
Joslin also cited other examples where park employees and others hung flags at the park without punishment, including an incident with an upside-down U.S. flag to protest Trump and another incident involving a pro-Palestinian flag.
“Preservation has been my life’s work — of Yosemite, the wildlife, the land, recreation, of peoples rights and safety, of community and acceptance, and now the Constitutional First Amendment,” Joslin wrote on social media. “I want my rights and I want my career back.”
A spokesperson for Yosemite National Park told NBC that the NPS was “pursuing administrative action against multiple National Park Service employees for failing to follow National Park Service regulations.”
NPS spokesperson Rachel Pawlitz said most demonstrations require a permit and that those who participated in the incident may be criminally charged.
She said the NPS was “pursuing administrative action against several Yosemite National Park employees and possible criminal charges against several park visitors who are alleged to have violated federal laws and regulations related to demonstrations.”
Joslin mentioned exploring legal options.
“I’m going to fight this tooth and nail,” Joslin said. “I think that everyone as Americans should be upset about this, and it doesn’t matter who I am or what my identity is. This is a matter of free speech.”
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