The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing must take administrative action against Beach Blanket Babylon and initiate investigations into systemic violations of Title VII and California's Fair Employment and Housing Act at all levels of California’s entertainment industry.
Why is this important?
We are concerned about the following audition notice and request that the EEOC and DFEH take administrative action:
"All ethnicities are welcome to audition. Historically we have used performers whose facial features make them appear conventionally Caucasian. So if you fit this description, please send us your information. If you don’t, your amazing voice and stage presence could change our minds, so please send us your information."
- Beach Blanket Babylon (San Francisco) ≈ 26 August 2016
Such a blatantly race-based employment preference violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), both of which prohibit discrimination based upon race and color. Under U.S. law, race is never a bona fide occupational qualification, and Beach Blanket Babylon’s preference for Caucasian talent combined with its own admission within the notice that an auditioner’s race is not essential for the role(s) in question leave no room for ambiguity.
We further request that the EEOC and DFEH initiate investigations into systemic violations of Title VII and FEHA at all levels of California’s entertainment industry. Discriminatory employment practices are industry standard and disparately impact all but White males on and behind camera and stage.
