The National Park Service will allow employees to participate in celebratory parades and events in uniform, a departure from earlier memos to staff members weeks before the start of LGBTQ Pride Month that effectively banned such uniformed employees from marching in public events.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland clarified the policy for Special Emphasis Programs — which includes programming about the LGBTQ community — in a memo to staff members Friday. She did not directly address Pride Month, which begins Saturday.
“I am directing Bureau leaders or their designated officials to determine how and when bureaus should participate in these externally organized events. This could include marching units in parades, booths at parades, events etc. This would allow employees to participate in uniform representing their respective bureau. This direction takes effect immediately,” Haaland wrote in the memo.
She added, “Bureau leaders or designated officials must apply consistent criteria for determining the appropriate nature of participation.”
The park service and the Interior Department shared copies of the memo in response to a request for comment. NPS added that it “is working on implementation guidance for parks.”
A previous department memo shared with NBC News asked employees to refrain from “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.” While that memo did not directly address Pride Month, a follow-up Q&A document shared with NBC News said external Pride events were included in the policy.
The memo caused confusion in the department, according to park service staffers, because it appeared to be a departure from how the agency has previously enforced certain policies.
Haaland appeared to address the confusion in her memo, writing: “We have an obligation to implement policy fairly and equitably. My hope is that this direction addresses any implementation questions or confusion as we enter a number of Special Emphasis Months.”
NPS affirmed in a social media post last week that “National parks are for everyone” alongside an image of the Stonewall Inn, the site of a historic 1969 uprising in New York City that sparked the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The park service oversees the Stonewall National Monument, across the street from the bar.
The park service said in the caption that it celebrates “the contributions of LGBTQ+ Americans past and present, including our team of employees, partners and volunteers.”
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