Hanging My Pride Upside Down - by Ranger Alli

In February, when Horseshoe Falls took its annual orange tint, a natural phenomenon that thousands flock to Yosemite National Park to see, U.S. Park Rangers draped a massive flag over the cliffs of El Capitan Mountain - upside down. These rangers took a stand amidst President Trump’s massive federal government layoffs, which included over 1,000 employees of the National Park Service, an agency historically understaffed and underfunded.

Per the American Legion and U.S. Flag Code, the flag being flown upside down is a symbol of imminent danger and immediate distress. It would often be used during battle to alert troops that a point of no return had been reached and survival was the ultimate goal; it represented a change in marching orders to “take no prisoners”. For a group of rogue rangers to now use this same symbol in protest of a government blaming them, our country’s daily defenders of her great outdoors, for a budget deficit, while that same government hands out tax breaks to billionaires, is an awesome example of peaceful protest.

I had considered flying an upside down American Flag over Memorial Day weekend, but was convinced not to by a member who said, “that is only to be used in moments of serious distress, if I saw an upside down flag - I’d assume you need the assistance of the authorities and call 911.” I don’t regret not flying an upside down American flag over that holiday, but I regret not retorting that member. As a nation, we are in distress, that is no longer a matter of opinion, but a matter of absolute fact.

As we enter Pride Month, I find myself struggling to find the energy and excitement I have always found in celebrating my and the community’s queerness. Instead, I find myself filled with anxiety, worry, and unadulterated anger. I have always known my existence as a member of the LGBTQ community was political, and have always celebrated Pride as an act of protest, but this year just feels different. It’s not a celebration, it’s a defiant act of identity. This year my pride is a public declaration of an unwillingness to retreat back into the closet. It is a commitment to my trans brothers and sisters that they are safe and that I stand with them as the government attempts to erase their existence.

This year my pride isn’t a celebration, it’s a declaration of distress.

So, if you’re at camp this month and look up over the Ranger Station platform,

you will see a rainbow American flag - flying upside down. I don’t need you to call the authorities. But I do need you to call your elected officials and advocate for the rights of all queer people. And I mean all queer people. Not just the white, cis, gay man - queer People of Color, trans and genderqueer people, agender and asexual queer people. All means all, and this pride we all are in distress. This Pride I am pulling out my bricks; the flag is upside down and I will take no prisoners.

Ranger Alli