Ex-CNN staffer claims his 'flamboyant' wardrobe got him fired
A former CNN staffer is suing the network for $60 million, claiming he was discriminated against for his brightly colored wardrobe, which was deemed "too flamboyant" by his boss. Since William Kane joined the channel in 2002, the studio technician said he regularly wore an abundance of eye-popping clothing such as neon green soccer jerseys, yellow track suits, and even a mariachi outfit to work. Kane claims no one informed him of a proper dress code.
In October 2012, Kane wore a black mariachi outfit to work, and it garnered the praises of anchors Christiane Amanpour and Fareed Zakaria. After that incident, however, Kane said that his supervisor John Silva began acting hostile towards him. Kane came out to him after keeping his sexuality secret for nearly a decade, the lawsuit claims.
All this culminated in Kane's firing in June 2013. "I feel like the Rosa Parks of CNN. Maybe someone else won't have to suffer the way I have," he told the New York Daily News. CNN said it hasn't yet seen the lawsuit. -- Jordan Valinsky
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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
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