The National Park Service Has Walked Back Its Ban on Rangers Attending Pride in Uniform

Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo

Update 5/29/24: After extensive backlash, the National Park Service (NPS) appears to have rolled back an earlier ban on employees wearing their uniforms at Pride events. Advocates, including climate activist and drag artist Pattie Gonia, had expressed widespread outrage over the policy, which was first reported last week.

In a new memo sent to staffers last Friday, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland directed NPS bureau leaders to “determine how and when bureaus should participate” in Special Emphasis Programs, cultural programming for diverse employees that includes LGBTQ+ events, Juneteenth celebrations, and more.

“This could include marching units in parades, booths at parades, events etc,” Haaland continued. “This would allow employees to participate in uniform representing their respective bureau.”

Although Haaland did not reference Pride Month by name, the new instructions effectively mean that employees will be allowed to participate in events and parades in uniform, as NBC News reported. The memo takes effect immediately.

Advocates applauded the move, with GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis saying, “Our National Parks and the public servants who work there are treasures valued by every American.”

“Employees should be able to express support for Pride and all celebrations that bring people together to reflect the beautiful diversity of our country and people,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement to The Hill. “We owe thanks to Park Service employees who spoke up about the discriminatory policy and who work every day to make all feel welcome to enjoy the parks that belong to all of us.” — James Factora

Original Story 5/23/24: Rangers in the National Park Service are no longer allowed to wear their uniforms at events including Pride marches, agency leaders confirmed this week.

According to a May 9 memo from NPS Deputy Director of Operations Frank Lands, the agency is reviewing its uniform code guidelines, which currently restrict workers from attending “any demonstration or public event” in uniform if their attendance would imply “agency support for a particular issue, position, or political party.” In the memo, which was originally obtained by Politico, Lands explains that while in uniform, park workers “represent the NPS and have a responsibility to balance our personal and professional lives.” In a follow-up email, Lands said no policies would be officially changing, but that current enforcement of the uniform code was inconsistent.

The memo did not specifically single out LGBTQ+ Pride events, but sources confirmed to NBC this week that “out-of-park” Pride rallies, marches, and other events are included in the restriction. An internal “Q&A” response further claimed that under First Amendment law, events promoting or celebrating an “identity” are not treated differently from those focused on a “cause,” and thus a ranger should not appear in uniform at either, as their presence would be an “official communication” of tacit support from the NPS and U.S. government.

However, the NPS already appears to “promote” and “celebrate” LGBTQ+ Pride, most notably via its Stonewall National Monument in New York City, which commemorates the landmark gay rights protests that inspired Christopher Street Liberation Day — now recognized as the country’s first Pride march. The NPS also hosts information on LGBTQ+ history and heritage in the U.S. as part of its “Telling All Americans’ Stories” series, which asserts that queer and trans histories are “central to the American experience.”

LGBTQ+ park workers have pushed back strongly against the news over the past few weeks, accusing leadership of poor communication and decision-making. As the Washington Blade noted, NPS workers in California were prevented from marching in uniform in a Pride celebration as recently as 2014, reversing that policy only through internal organizing and an intervention from the Department of the Interior. (It’s worth noting, however, that while park rangers and other workers are distinct from police, some are also classified as law enforcement.)

The groundbreaking ceremony will stream live on YouTube.

One LGBTQ+ staffer who helped plan workers’ Pride participation told NBC that employees “deserve an apology for the grief and the turmoil and the distraction that this has been to those committed to the work and to the mission of the Park Service.” Regarding Lands’ clarification email, the staffer added that the message was “disappointing to me because it was not an apology and resignation.”

Official restrictions on Pride events, expression, and iconography have steadily increased across the U.S. in recent years, with some towns and agencies voting to ban Pride flags and other symbols. While the NPS has professed general support for LGBTQ+ communities, workers alleged in a 2019 internal report that the agency failed to make some parks safe for queer and trans employee, and that LGBTQ+ legal rights and protections were not respected. The report was not released to the public.

Now, fewer than two weeks before June marks the start of Pride Month, park rangers and other workers wonder if they will be able to go forward with their plans — and what this crackdown on expression might mean for the NPS going forward.

“[T]he primary question is, ‘How is being queer an issue, position or political party-related thing?’” queried the LGBTQ+ parks staffer who spoke to NBC. “And we have not gotten any clear answer. It’s an identity, it’s not an ideology, and they are confusing the two greatly.”

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Originally Appeared on them.