National Park Service effectively bans uniformed staffers from Pride marches

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

May 22, 2024, 7:00 PM EDT


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.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/national-park-service-effectively-bans-uniformed-staffers-pride-marche-rcna153370

[2naSalit]

1. So?

If you want to march, don't be in uniform, how hard is that?

[Raven123]

2. Exactly.

[jimfields33]

6. I'm cool with this.

[Magoo48]

8. How about the Rose Parade, Macy's, Forth of July celebrations?

Creeping authoritarian bullshit.

[2naSalit]

18. Nope...

Those parades are not political statement parades, unlike a pride or protest march.

You either respect the uniform for what it is or you don't. If you don't respect it then why are you even in one of the uniformed civilian services? There is no draft for the NPS.

[PatSeg]

11. Yes, makes sense to me

[Novara]

12. Or wear an unofficial t-shirt that says you're a national parks employee

I imagine that would be acceptable. It isn't the official uniform.

I agree that if you're a federal employee wearing a uniform, you are not allowed to wear that uniform when participating in any activity that can be construed as political. In fact, you shouldn't be wearing it anywhere but to work. I mean, post office employees don't wear their uniforms in political demonstrations. Right?

Now, Pride should not be political, and THAT'S the real problem here.

But if you have to wear a uniform, you do represent that entity in public while you're wearing it. That's just how it is. It's one reason I think before wearing company logo clothing in public.

But it's okay for a SCOTUS justice to display blatantly political and anti-democratic symbols on his property, don'tchaknow.

[Blues Heron]

3. this is how facism creeps in -with petty little edicts like this.

Pathetic and scary too.

[NanaCat]

14. Oh please

Fascism would have people wearing the uniform to intimidate. Those who wear a uniform in any of the branches of government that require them are supposed to have them on only for work and other professional settings. Every single government entity clearly spells out how they're not to be worn for informal events of any kind. The only people who must wear their uniform even for those things are military trainees. Everyone else--wear your civvies when you're protesting or anything else.

For those who brought up Macy's or other parades, the US military considers those things as official PR, and they're acceptable because they have no partisan political agenda. A pride parade does. That's why the government is saying, don't wear that--you can take whatever side you want, but a government agency can't.

Maybe if you'd ever actually worn a uniform, you'd understand why it's the height of democratic practice NOT to wear a uniform to partisan political events.

[2naSalit]

19. Amen!

[padah513]

4. I didn't know it was such a huge problem before. It's like they're looking for stuff to get mad about.

[mopinko]

5. the maga way.

[2naSalit]

7. That's exactly what it is.

[NanaCat]

15. No, it's standard practice for all government entities

That require its employees to wear a uniform. The same rule applies to the military, the USPS, or anyone else, and it's an official regulation for all of them not to wear their uniform outside of work or other professional or 'approved' settings.

Example: Contrary to what you saw on Cheers, USPS letter carriers aren't supposed to wear their uniforms to pubs. My neighbour said he and his co-workers got an unofficial dressing down for doing that when his post office had a farewell party for a colleague who'd gotten his dream transfer. Someone had taken pictures of the revelry, a supervisor saw them, and 'reminded' the carriers that it violated the employee rulebook or whatever they have over there at USPS.

You don't represent yourself when you wear that uniform. You represent the government, and the government does not take sides in partisan issues.

[oldmanlynn]

9. Sounds like they are bending due to political pressure from one side

While also saying they are doing this to avoid appearing partisan.

[NanaCat]

16. Sounds like they're applying the rules that exist about it

Really.

[Farmer-Rick]

10. Well, if you are military

You can't march in a parade in uniform except as part of a unit. I once marched as a Navy cadet in a small 4th of July parade with my class. But I couldn't wear my uniform to march in the pro choice rally for women's rights.

Mostly it's about representing a larger group when you are in uniform. These groups usually want to remain politically neutral even about important issues.

Could the pride organizers invite the entire Park Service unit to march as a group? I guess the park service would deny the request. Not too many military units march in pride parades either.

[NanaCat]

17. This

People who have never worn a government uniform, military or otherwise, have zero bloody clue that there are strict rules about when and where you can wear that uniform.

[IronLionZion]

13. You don't have to represent your employer in these events

Rangers can just march in their own clothes. Individual freedom is an amazing thing.

[manicdem]

20. Good decision

This works both ways. Wouldn't want people in uniform in a white supremacy march.

Uniforms shouldn't be worn as a individual. I could see if it was a government run or agency participating parade like a 4th of July parade.