What began as an act of solidarity eventually took a painful turn for a National Park Service biologist.
After helping show the pink, white and blue transgender flag at El Capitan in May 2025, Shannon Joslin, who uses the pronouns “they/them”, found themselves in the middle of a controversy, claiming they were wrongfully terminated for their involvement and that their free speech rights were violated.
In February 2026, Joslin sued several federal agencies and officials, alleging illegal and retaliatory action in response to peaceful off-duty speech. They want reinstatement, a ruling that the government acted illegally, protection from criminal charges and monetary damages.
On Friday, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the court did not have jurisdiction to force the park service to reinstate Joslin.
However, the decision did not resolve the wider controversy surrounding Joslin’s dismissal. US District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston said Joslin used improper procedure to challenge the shooting.
Joslin was on their day on the job at the time, putting up the flag as a “private citizen,” they said.
A week after the protest, Joslin was contacted by a Park Service official about the flag and told they were “under criminal investigation.” In the ensuing conversation, Yosemite’s acting deputy superintendent issued a letter of revocation.
The court’s decision revealed that Joslin was a few weeks shy of the end of their two-year trial when the dismissal occurred.
According to their employer, Joslin “failed to demonstrate acceptable behavior” during the trial period by participating in the show without proper permission, “therefore [circumventing] rules that apply to all park visitors.”
Joslin later received the form, which cited the president’s executive order and unspecified “unacceptable behavior,” the court ruling said.
Soon after, Joslin took to social media to express her outrage, and the story went viral online.
Shannon Joslin, a biologist in Yosemite, was fired after wearing a trans flag while on the job without proper permits.
(Pattie Gonia)
“I want my rights and I want my job back,” Joslin wrote August 2025 Instagram post. “No one, in any of my roles, has ever spoken negatively about my behavior. I treat people on time, with the patience and respect that I hope they will give me.”
Joslin could challenge their termination through the Civil Service Reform Act, which protects public employees from unfair practices and political retaliation, according to Thurston.
In fact, Joslin began the process by filing a complaint with the US Office of Special Counsel, or OSC, in December 2025, saying that the government’s actions “prohibited workers’ comp.”
Joslin told The Times in 2025 that: “My firing is not just about one security guard, “It’s about everyone having the right to free speech in the United States.
The Office of Special Counsel has up to 240 days to respond to Joslin’s complaint. The deadline is August 3. However, due to the government shutdown and the backlog of cases, i OSC is expected to be delayed its answer.
