WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — More than a dozen Black firefighters have joined in suing the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (DCFEMS), claiming the enactment and enforcement of the institution’s clean-shaven policy was discriminatory against religious beliefs and disabilities.
The 17 career firefighters who are the plaintiffs in the case said the policy doesn’t take into account individuals with medical or religious reasons for not shaving.
Pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) is a medical condition experienced by some of the firefighters. It is more common in Black and Asian men with tight curly hair, according to the National Library of Medicine. The chronic inflammatory disorder causes a reaction that can result in ingrown hairs after removing follicles and, in some cases, can cause infections.
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In 2021, DCFEMS revised its policy, allowing limited facial hair. However, the lawsuit states this change wasn’t enough to satisfy religious beliefs or whose PFB was so severe that they could not shave as closely as the policy required…