Hamilton actor accuses production of transgender bias after termination
A transgender Hamilton cast member says their contract wasn’t renewed after they requested a gender-neutral dressing room for performers at a Los Angeles theatre, according to a discrimination charge filed in the US.
Suni Reid, who is black, nonbinary, and uses the pronouns they/ them, said that after their June 2021 request, they experienced unlawful retaliation including contract suspension and sidelining from rehearsals, previews, and opening night.
As part of the hit musical’s cast on Broadway and productions in Los Angeles and Chicago, Reid has performed several male roles.
Even though a gender-neutral dressing room was eventually provided, Reid’s contract wasn’t renewed, they told the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The charge additionally alleges that Reid experienced harassment and discrimination by other actors and management, including being physically threatened and repeatedly misgendered. They also brought race bias claims.
“Publicly, Hamilton is a beacon of diversity and appears committed to causes seeking social justice and harmony,” Reid’s attorneys said in a Wednesday statement. “Behind the curtain, however, the company’s management will force out a black, transgender cast member simply because they stood up for themselves and advocated for a more equitable workplace, and therefore called that public image into question.”
A Hamilton spokesman denied Reid’s allegations.