A POPULAR travel spot is rolling out a new ban prohibiting visitors from bringing a specific item.
Yosemite National Park updated its rulebook to prohibit visitors from bringing flags bigger than 15 square feet and from hanging them in designated areas.
The National Park Service is banning a specific item from Yosemite National Park[/caption]
Flags that are 15 square feet or bigger will no longer be hung at the park[/caption]
The ban includes the park’s most well-known rock formation, El Capitan, which is a popular photo spot.
The area has served as a place for activists to share messages of distress or support, including an incident in February when park rangers held an upside-down American flag after federal cuts were made to the National Park Service.
A more recent incident had what was called the largest flag hung from the mountainside after organizers from the project “Trans is Natural” hung a 66-foot by 35-foot transgender pride flag.
“We flew the Trans pride flag in Yosemite to make a statement: Trans people are natural and Trans people are loved,” lead organizer Pattie Gonia told local CBS affiliate KSEE-TV.
“Let this flag fly higher than hate. We are done being polite about Trans people’s existence. Call it a protest, call it a celebration – either way, it’s giving elevation to liberation.”
In response to the act, Yosemite National Park released a statement, saying that it was aware of the “unauthorized display.”
“The NPS does not endorse such actions, and the flag was removed as soon as possible,” the statement continued.
“The National Park Service is conducting an inquiry into the facts and circumstances around this event.
“We take the protection of our national parks seriously and will not tolerate behavior that undermines their integrity.”
The new ban was highlighted in a recent compendium approved by acting National Park Service Superintendent Raymond McPadden.
The restriction was described as necessary for the safety of the wildlife in the area.
“Within the designated Wilderness and Potential Wilderness Addition portions of the park it is prohibited for any person or group to hang or otherwise affix to any natural or cultural feature, or display so as to cover any natural or cultural feature, any banner, flag, or sign larger than fifteen square feet,” read the compendium.
It also prohibits a combination of banners, flags, or signs that total more than 5 square feet “in aggregate, unless authorized by permit.”
FIRST AMENDMENT ATTACK
Violating the rule, along with any of the rules listed in the compendium, can come with hefty penalties.
Punishments include “a fine as provided by law (18 U.S.C. 3571) up to $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or by imprisonment not exceeding six months.”
A judge would decide if jail time is needed and how much would be warranted.
SJ Joslin, a nonbinary bat biologist, told SFGATE that the penalties don’t sit right with them.
“I think that $5,000 fines or six months in jail for hanging a flag that doesn’t hurt anyone, just tells a group of people who are actively being marginalized that we deserve to exist is a bit much,” said Joslin, who uses they/them pronouns.
Miranda Oakley, a climber who helped unveil a banner criticizing the war in Gaza, told Climbing Magazine that she didn’t believe the justification for the ban.
“It’s hard to believe that it would actually cause any safety issues greater than what we see every day in Yosemite,” said Oakley.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the National Park Service for comment.
The ban comes weeks after a large transgender pride flag was hung at the famous El Capitan rock formation[/caption]
Activists have called out the NPS for the ban[/caption]
