The American Civil Liberties Union says that Walt Disney World has reversed a decision that kept Gurdit Singh, a mail carrier with the company, from running mail routes where he would have been visible to park guests.
Due to his turban and full beard that is mandated by the Sikh religion, Singh was only allowed to deliver mail to corporate offices for the last seven years, which meant that he didn’t rotate to other mail routes and had a greater workload than that of other mail carriers.
In a copy a letter that the ACLU obtained from Disney Attorney Armando A. Rodriguez-Feo, Disney agrees that Singh is allowed to work “all distribution routes in the regular rotation…while wearing his turban and neatly-gathered and tied beard.”
In 2012, Disney began allowing short beards, but Singh’s unshorn beard would not comply with the quarter inch limit.
The ACLU and the Sikh Coalition became involved earlier this year after Singh could not resolve the issue himself.
Heather Weaver, attorney for the ACLU adds, “The segregation in this case limited his opportunities for advancement. Beyond that for him personally, it just felt like he was being singled out and he felt humiliated just because of his religious appearance.”
Disney had no comment.
Source: Orlando Sentinel
Picture: Sikh Coalition
