Trans Is Natural, a coalition of trans, queer and ally climbers, unfurled a huge Trans Pride flag in the middle of the El Capitan rock formation

Trans Is Natural, a coalition of trans, queer and ally climbers, unfurled a huge Trans Pride flag in the middle of the El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park, California on Tuesday, 20 May.

The group, which hung the flag “in an act of solidarity and resistance”, said the trans pride flag, which is 55 feet by 35 feet, is the largest flag ever displayed on the rock formation.

“We flew the Trans Pride flag in Yosemite to make a statement: Trans people are natural and Trans people are loved,” drag performer and environmentalist Pattie Gonia, one of the demonstration’s lead organisers, said in a statement. “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.”

The group noted that the demonstration comes as the Trump administration has removed mentions of trans and intersex people from government websites, including from the website for the Stonewall National Monument. The New York City monument commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising, which historians believe was led in part by trans people and which is largely considered a turning point in the modern gay rights movement.

The climbers hung the flag on the Heart Ledges to reclaim space in the heart of the National Park, their statement said.

“Raising this flag in the heart of El Capitan is a celebration of our community standing in solidarity with each other and all targeted groups,” SJ Joslin, a conservationist and a lead organiser of the demonstration, said in a statement. “Trans existence is not up for debate. We are social workers, public servants, parents, and neighbours. Being trans is a natural, beautiful part of human and biological diversity. We can only make progress when we embrace diversity, not erase it.”