The National Park Service (NPS) has confirmed that it is banning rangers from wearing their uniforms to attend or march in Pride events. NPS rangers have marched in Pride Parades such as those in New York, Seattle, and San Francisco in the past.
While the uniform guidelines are already in place, a memo sent on May 9 to all employees said that “participating in or attending any demonstration or public event wherein the wearing of the uniform could be construed as agency support for a particular issue, position, or political party” is not permitted. Previously, these guidelines had not been enforced.
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An NPS spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that the ban applies to Pride marches, leaving many of their queer employees feeling blindsided. One NPS employee, who spoke to NBC News under the condition of anonymity, said the decision “appalled” them. The employee has been involved, wearing their uniform, in many Pride events nationwide and was also assisting in the planning of this year’s employee Pride parade.
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“I see Pride as a key service to the public, and I see stepping away from that as a political statement,” the employee said. “I see denying this decades-long tradition as cowardly, and I see it as validating the far-right provocateurs who are trying to push into political discourse whether or not queer people can exist.”
They also cited the Lavender Scare of the 1940s to 1960s, when thousands of LGBTQ+ employees were fired or forced to leave their government jobs due to their sexuality. They said NPS staffers’ participation in Pride events honors those employees and serves as way for the gay community to connect with NPS, as queer people are underrepresented in National Parks.
The National Park Service runs Stonewall National Monument, the very place that is credited with starting the contemporary queer liberation movement after gay rights protests erupted there in 1969.
Frank Lands is the deputy director of operations for NPS, and he sent out the memo. He wrote that the policy regarding uniforms is an existing one, but the enforcement has been inconsistent.
“Simply put, no policy has changed,” Lands wrote in an email that two NPS employees shared with NBC News. “We sent the reminder because more and more employees are now asking to participate in uniform in non-NPS events that support a wide variety of topics and causes. Previous interpretations of our uniform policy were inconsistent and did not receive the comprehensive review we are currently working through.”
A staffer involved in helping plan NPS Pride participation called for an apology and resignation from Lands. They said that “LGBTQ staff, employee resource groups and employees who do community outreach “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.”
