National Park Service effectively bans uniformed staffers from Pride marches
Pride revelers will likely see less — if any — National Park rangers marching in uniform at LGBTQ Pride events across the country this year.
Pride revelers will likely see less — if any — National Park rangers marching in uniform at LGBTQ Pride events across the country this year.
The National Park Service is effectively prohibiting uniformed employees from marching in public events that “could be construed as agency support for a particular issue, position, or political party,” according to internal memos and documents shared with NBC News. This effective ban would extend to Pride marches, according to those documents.
The memo, which an NPS spokesperson described as a “reminder” of existing guidelines, is a departure from how the agency has traditionally enforced the policy and has caused confusion among staff. The NPS, which oversees the country’s national parks and monuments, has long permitted uniformed rangers to participate in LGBTQ Pride marches, including some of the country’s largest, like those in New York City and San Francisco (where police officers, firemen, military service members and other government employees can often be seen in uniform, too). A ranger for the Stonewall National Monument — which commemorates the site of a historic 1969 uprising that marked a turning point in the gay rights movement — has participated in many Pride events in uniform.
The NPS spokesperson confirmed the veracity of three internal documents shared with NBC News — the initial internal memo clarifying the agency’s existing policy, a follow-up Q&A document and an email sent to staff on Monday — but stopped short of confirming that the policy constituted an outright ban.
“Official NPS participation in community events that directly relate to a park’s mission can be approved by the park superintendent, provided it is consistent with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and NPS policies,” the spokesperson said in an email to NBC News Tuesday.
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