The Turban vs. “The Look”–Another Disney Lawsuit
The Walt Disney World Company is being sued for not allowing a Sikh-American to work at Disney World because he refused to remove his turban for religious reasons. The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) has scheduled an official announcement of the suit for June 16. Sukhbir Singh Channa says he was hired in October 2005 as a seasonal college musician, which required parade and atmosphere performances. For the parades, Channa wore a toy soldier hat to cover his head and in the atmopshere performances, he was allowed to wear a red turban in place of a red beret. He also states that after rehearsing for both jobs, he was ejected from the atmospheric position because he lacked the “Disney look.” In September of 2006, Channa re-applied for the job at Walt Disney World. During the process, Channa was told that he would not be re-hired for the same reason he was ejected from the atmospheric performance the previous fall. When asked about the lawsuit, Manjit Singh, SALDEF chairman, said, “There’s no legal or other justification for a company to repudiate an employee in the manner that Disney has repudiated Channa…Disney makes millions of dollars each year on cartoon characters that wear turbans but cannot respect the right of an American to wear a turban for religious reasons.”
Disney is currently reviewing the lawsuit.
(Additional Info: The Times of India, Orlando Business Journal)
For more information on “The Disney Look”, visit the WDW College Program website here
If I can’t wear a necklace for religious reasons and an african american can’t be Cinderella than I think this is fair. Disney is going after a very specific look and won’t allow anything else. Sorry.
Universal is always hiring ^_^