YOSEMITE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – An updated rulebook for Yosemite National Park would criminalize activists for flying certain flags within the world-renowned landscape.
According to the Yosemite Superintendent’s Compendium approved in May, flags bigger than 15 square feet are prohibited from being hung in designated areas, including on the park’s iconic rock formation El Capitan. The ban also applies to a series or combination of banners, flags, or signs that total more than 15 square feet in aggregate (unless authorized by permit).
Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan has recently served as a medium from which activists have expressed messages of distress or protest. In February, park rangers held an upside-down American flag from the historic mountain as federal cuts were made to the National Park Service.
More recently, on May 20, what was described as the largest flag hung from the mountainside showcased a transgender pride flag. Organizers said they flew the pride flag “to make a statement: Trans people are natural and Trans people are loved. Let this flag fly higher than hate.”
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Image courtesy of Trans Is Natural coalition -
Image courtesy of Trans Is Natural coalition -
Image courtesy of Trans Is Natural coalition -
Image courtesy of Trans Is Natural coalition -
Image courtesy of Trans Is Natural coalition -
Image courtesy of Trans Is Natural coalition
At the time, Yosemite National Park issued a statement confirming that park rangers were aware of the unauthorized display, adding that “the NPS does not endorse such actions, and the flag was removed as soon as possible.”
The trans pride was displayed on El Capitan on May 20, the same day the updated superintendent’s compendium was approved.
Nexstar’s KSEE/KGPE has asked Yosemite National Park for a statement on the updated superintendent’s compendium and whether or not it was changed in response to the display of the trans pride flag. Park officials did not respond to a request for information.
In the updated compendium, it states that the restriction is needed to “provide for an unimpaired visitor experience, protect natural and cultural resources in designated Wilderness and Potential Wilderness Addition portions of the park,” as well as public safety.
