Former Yosemite park ranger and biologist Dr. Shannon “SJ” Joslin, who was fired last summer for hanging a trans flag on El Capitan, is suing the U.S. Department of the Interior, according to a report by PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility).
Joslin filed suit Monday against the DOI, stating that the termination was illegal due to violations of their First Amendment rights and of the Privacy Act.
Joslin, who identifies as nonbinary and gay, was not on duty in May of 2025 when they and a few fellow rock climbers hung a giant transgender pride flag on the famous summit. Joslin says this act was in response to the Trump administration’s efforts to remove representation of trans people and communities from government websites, including the Park Service’s site.
The giant trans flag hung on El Capitan in Yosemite for three hours in May of 2025.courtesy SJ Joslin
While the flag hung for only a total of three hours and was removed voluntarily by the group, Joslin later found themself a target of the federal government’s ongoing anti-trans antics. In August of 2025, Joslin was fired by the National Park Service and even criminally investigated by the Department of Justice. Prior to Joslin’s firing, there is no record of anyone being disciplined for hanging flags on El Capitan, which has often been a place where climbers expressed political and non-political views over the years.
The unprecedented and discriminatory action caused outrage among the LGBTQ+ community, who have since rallied around Joslin for support. In December, they were celebrated by Out magazine as one of its Out100 honorees. On the red carpet for the event, Joslin was joined by fellow environmental activist and drag performer Pattie Gonia, who wore the flag Joslin hung as a gown.
“This administration is targeting Dr. Joslin because it wants to scare people into silence,” said Joanna Citron Day, general counsel at PEER and one of the attorneys representing Joslin. “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. Dr. Joslin was illegally fired and should be reinstated immediately.”
