A transgender actor who stars in Hamilton has alleged they lost a role in the production for asking if they could use a gender-neutral dressing room.
Suni Reid, who uses they/them pronouns and joined the Broadway cast of Hamilton in 2017, has filed a complaint against the producers of the show, alleging they made the request while performing at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles in June, only for their contract renewal to be suspended weeks later.
They also allege that fellow cast members “physically threatened” them and “intentionally and repeatedly mis-gendered them”, that there were sidelined during rehearsals, previews and “finally opening night and beyond”.
According to a federal complaint filed with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Reid intends to pursue their claims in federal court.
In a statement, the actor’s lawyers Lawrence M Pearson and Lindsay M Goldbrum said: “Publicly, Hamilton is a beacon of diversity and appears committed to causes seeking social justice and harmony.
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“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.
“We look forward to upholding Mx Reid’s rights and hope this is a wake-up call for the theatre industry about the systemic inequities that persist even at its greatest heights.”
Hamilton denied the allegations and described Reid as a “valued cast member”, adding it “offered them a contract to return to Hamilton with terms responsive to their requests”.
“We deny the allegations in the charge,” the show said. “We have not discriminated or retaliated against Suni.”
