SJ Jocelyn, a non-binary wildlife biologist with the National Park Service, was fired after joining six other six people, including environmental activist and drag queen Patigonia, hanging a 55 x 35-foot transgender pride flag from the El Pitan Rock Formation in Yosemite National Park. The flag, which flew for about two hours on May 20, reports that it attracted the attention of the public. they.
He was hired in 2021 to lead Yosemite’s Big Wall Butt Program. This researches how climbers can spread fungal infections among native bats, but Jocelyn later became a wildlife data scientist in the park. They say they were officially fired on August 12th in a letter from Deputy Director Danica Grovekar.
in Instagram Post said Glove Curl’s letter was quoted during the probationary period “did not demonstrate any acceptable conduct.”
Jocelyn was within a two-year probationary period scheduled to end in September as she was hired under federal “Schedule A” authority for disabled workers during increased COVID-19 restrictions. Unlike most employees who serve one year of probation, disabled workers become disabled in the face of a two-year term.
In their post, Jocelyn claimed they had done nothing wrong, pointing out that the flag hanging happened in his own time as a civilian.
“There was no flag hanging during work hours,” Jocelyn wrote. “That had nothing to do with my work.”
Jocelyn said on Instagram that the flag was hung from Elpitan before there was no results. In June 2024, Palestinian climbers displayed a banner read as “Stop Genocide” to protest Israeli military campaign in Gaza. Six demonstrators hanging that February US flag upside down Protests against massive federal layoffs and job freezes under the Trump administration.
“Flags are a tradition that climbers have been doing at Elcap for decades, not just individuals visiting the park, but employees who are on break,” Jocelyn said. NBC News. “I have never affected any of these flag-raising activities. I am the only one who has been fired for that.”
“We don’t know exactly why we are targeted, except for the obvious differences in why the flag-wearing groups differ from the other groups that flag them, and what the flag is,” Jocelyn said. they. “I want to make it clear that they have justified exactly that this is a demonstration that guarantees termination.”
Jocelyn is considering filing an illegal termination lawsuit.
“This is not a political issue. It’s a matter of fundamental rights and rights granted through the constitution,” Jocelyn said. “It doesn’t matter what flag I gave… it doesn’t matter who I am or what my identity is. It’s a matter of freedom of speech.”
Don’t miss out on the latest updates on cases such as Joslin’s and other Breaking LGBTQ news. Sign up to MetroWeekly’s free newsletter www.metroweekly.com/subscribe.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
