White ‘Lion King’ sign-language interpreter says he was ousted over skin color

Lions and warthogs are black? What?

This is disgusting.

They have no problem taking white people's money, but a man who performs a necessary service can't because he's white.

Truly the inmates run the asylum.

If he wins, which he likely will, what will be the likely settlement? Will his lawsuit blacklist him from other Broadway gigs?

What happened to color blind casting?

When you know it’s The NY Post upon reading the headline.

Happy Anniversary The Lion King. Someone's head is going to roll over this incredibly bad timing of a stupid decision.

Lol, like Disney wasn’t having enough trouble getting families to the crime ridden shithole that is Times Square.

There is no color-blind casting. It's white-replacement casting and, even then, just for the decent roles. Let me know when we see the first black actor blindly cast as a Nazi in a WWII drama.

Fuck Rupert Murdoch's NYPost!

Blacks in entertainment are proving themselves to be monsters during this time. They practice every form of discrimination and hate that they imagine they were victims of… and they really weren’t.

[quote] Blacks in entertainment are proving themselves to be monsters

"Blacks" didn't do this. Cherchez la woke progressive.

Wann filed a federal discrimination lawsuit on Tuesday against the organization and the director of its accessibility programs, Lisa Carling.

R12, I don’t think it’s a problem with the black community at large. But when a white person spews unconscious bias and racist thoughts, they get called out on it, but if a black person does the same, it’s rationalized in some socially progressive manner.

The truth is that a lot of these people who spout this CRT rhetoric grew up in dysfunctional homes where every lost job, every eviction, every prison term was the result of whitey. The idea that this wouldn’t affect a person’s viewpoint moving forward and that it doesn’t dominate a great deal of CRT philosophy is ridiculous.

Just because someone is a professor of pro-black Racial Studies doesn’t mean they are objective and free of their own prejudices and bias.

The same goes for this woman whose hatred of whites is about to cost her company a lot of money and negative publicity.

Maybe this guy can now move to Broadway

But it's "appropriate" for PoC to play White historical and fictional characters? Do they not realise that Disney, a company founded by a White man, based The Lion King on Shakespeare's (another White man) Hamlet?

Get yo white fingas outta my face!

Ridiculous

It’s hilarious how the far left media won’t run this story. Agenda much?

[quote]Blacks in entertainment are proving themselves to be monsters during this time.

Umm, I can see how it comes off that way, but usually, it's White people doing this to each other because their White guilt is that damn bad and they think it makes them look "anti-racist."

Don't put that shit on us. I can guarantee not one damn Black person even thought about the fact that this interpreter was White because, contrary to what social media would have you believe, it is White progressives who are the most race-obsessed. Not us. We don't have time for all of this foolishness.

Hakuna Matata.

R6, R10 don't know how to direct their anger.

[quote] To me, just seeing that discrimination, it doesn’t matter if I’m white or black,”

He he! Shamone!

The white bitch who made the decision, she going to fire her own Caucasian ass so that a black person can take her place?

A musical for deaf people?

Didn’t even have to see the url to guess the source. 🙄

I know I'm going to be called a Klan granny for this, but it's obvious that today in ads black actors are far more over-represented than the percentage of population. White voters notice this.

Where the white liberal guilt ends, and the black intellectual victimology pressure begins, ain't exactly clear.

[quote] black actors are far more over-represented

They're certainly taking the star roles in TV commercials this year.

They're In commercials for everything!

If I see a commercial without a black actor (very rare) or even featuring one with an actor of another race in the ensemble I’m surprised.

[quote] white sign-language interpreter says he was booted

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie endorses this decision.

[quote] is not a black person and therefore should not be representing Lion King,

And I, also, endorse this decision.

He was only using one hand and giving 50%.

But the songs for "The Lion King" were composed by a gay British white man! Throw out the book and hire a black composer NOW!

(I hate that fucking movie anyway.)

They'll settle out of court and we won't hear anything about it. This shit will continue. Broadway - The Great Woke Way.

NO MORE EMPLOYED YT PEOPLE!!!

[quote] Umm, I can see how it comes off that way, but usually, it's White people doing this to each other because their White guilt is that damn bad and they think it makes them look "anti-racist."

Correct, R19.

[quote] White guilt

It is standard behaviour for 20 year-olds. It is more fashionable than being Non-Binary.

Lisa Carling is a white woman. He was fired by a white person.

Talking about black people in this discussion is irrelevant. Leave them out and your racist views.

[quote] irrelevant

Money is not irrelevant.

The characters in THE LION KING are animals and should be played and sign interpreted only by animals.

Wokeness is going to cost Democrats the election!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wokeness is another reason for me to avoid current theatre.

Can this show use surtitles?

Would the audience for this show know how to read?

If they had said a black sign-language interpreter wouldn't be allowed to interpret white characters, how would that have gone down?

King T'Challa and Queen Sh'niqua approve of this development.

[quote] the director of its accessibility programs, Lisa Carling

This woman spends millions every week to do all this.

Who pays for this BIG MONEY?

[quote]But the songs for "The Lion King" were composed by a gay British white man!

Many were also composed by a Black South African man from Soweto (Lebo M). Just putting that out there.

One of my favorites:

Why do these people need an expensive sign-language person? They are well-practised as lip-readers.

I'm not deaf but I can lip-read about 50% of dialogue.

Garrett Morris is alive and available…

[quote] Since 2011, TDF has been teaming up with Broadway to offer autism-friendly performances.

Oh FANK you! You fixeded my Follies!

[quote]I'm not deaf

Hmm. I now wonder how many DLers actually, are, deaf. This is a written forum. Hearing isn't a requirement to communicate.

Well Disney is going to making It's a Small World diverse. How would that be you might ask? By having children in wheelchairs to represent more accurately the world we live in. So of course they will add bald children who have been through chemo, blind children who will be feeling each others faces, children with missing limbs due to birth defects or accidents and the DL eternal symbol of wealthy white boastful virtue seekers the trans child. Though that one might be a bit tricky. How would you show a trans child? I guess you would have an arrow over a little dutch maiden in a tulip saying transitioning male to female.

About time whites start losing their jobs for being white.

[quote]...and the DL eternal symbol of wealthy white boastful virtue seekers the trans child. Though that one might be a bit tricky. How would you show a trans child?

You have a fan positioned just right. When the ride goes by, you blow the little Dutch girl's skirt up over zir head where there will be a giant, spotlighted frankenshenis painted in the colors of the UN.

R29 What a whiny fucking bitch that entitled queen is!

R53 That entitled queen had his own (rather amusing) thread here.

What the fuck does the race of the sign language interpreter even matter?

And having seen the show several times, there are always a handful of white, Asian or Latin folks in the cast, give or take the production you see.

Why didn't they just put black makeup on him? Hm?

Yes. Black makeup on his face but he must wear white gloves on his hands because his hands tell the story.

Exactly, R57. See, two posts and we've already solved racism. Easy peasy.

This is justice at its finest.

The level of racial segregation some people want to move towards is not in the interests of members of ANY race.

R50, the tulip would have 3 petals: blue/white/pink

I SAID, “YOU ARE FIRED FROM THIS INTERPRETER JOB”!

Maybe they want to include ebonics in sign language.

To some extent, white voters are associating Democrats as the "anti-white" party from this stuff.

Can you blame them, R64.

Why would deaf people feel compelled to go to a MUSICAL?!?

That's like blind people going to the ballet.

r1 r38 Yes, are they saying that these animals (characters) are black (people)?

[quote] The white bitch who made the decision, she going to fire her own Caucasian ass so that a black person can take her place?

r22 Two white bitches:

[quote] Carling’s decision came at the behest of Shelly Guy, the director of ASL for “The Lion King,” and called for Carling to get rid of all non-black interpreters, [...] “The majority of the characters in the Lion King are black actors and the content takes place in Africa,” Guy wrote Carling on April 1. “Keith Wann, though an amazing ASL performer, is not a black person and therefore should not be representing Lion King,” she declared.

R31 and don’t forget white jezebel Julie Taymor directed and designed the stage show...

R67 Shelly Guy is truly fucking retarded.

The Lion King - a musical even the deaf can enjoy! In fact - they may enjoy it more!

R50’s reimagining of Small World spins somehow even more horrifying than it already is. Like something kitschy yet highly unsettling and disturbed that Henry Darger would come up with.

Or even Henry Danger.

Hopefully they don't come for Elton's LESTAT, next!

Oh, who are we kidding, they couldn't fuck that up worse that it was when it started.

Don't be a jerk about the deaf and blind, r66. They can still enjoy performing arts. I'm a theater interpreter for the blind as a matter of fact, and I strongly encourage the deaf and blind to visit the theater. Deaf can still enjoy the story and sights of the Lion King, and frankly it's a relief to not have to hear Sir Elton's crappy, bombastic score.

As for ballet, you can still interpret it. I never have, but my biggest challenge was narrating the Small House of Uncle Thomas 14 minute long ballet in the King and I, and I did it.

Leave them alone, r66. This is about the interpreter being fired.

R74 = Simon of LaGree

[quote] I'm a theater interpreter for the blind

How do you do that?

Do you stand at the side of the stage giving LOTS of commentary? Lots of adjectives and adverbs describing colours, costumes, attitudes?

Hiring according to race is ILLEGAL, regardless of what nonsense these Broadway out of control race-obsessed wokesters think or feel!

He's getting some support on Twitter, but also some blowback.

R67 is so attractive we must pay some money.

R76, we start at the theater in a private space where the blind people can touch costumes, props and meet some of the cast to describe what will happen in the show. It's pretty fun to get to be a part of it. They will then be given a braille Playbill if desired, and I'll go into the back in a secluded spot with a mic and the audience member will have an earphone. I'll start off by letting them know the major characters and what they'll be wearing, facial appearance, wigs etc.

Then when the show gets going I'll succinctly, quietly and briefly describe the action. I can use colors in description as blind people can associate color with feelings.

We can't give away the action though and must be careful with adjectives, such as "so and so enters with a sad look." You have to still let the audience member deduce the story and process it themselves.

I've had audience members in tears thanking me for describing the show, as they felt they could never enjoy theater.

That's why I'm taking this whole thread seriously. What happened to this interpreter is a crime. Good interpreters are not fish in a barrel.

[quote] Good interpreters

How does one gauge that? There's no tangible way to measure an interpreter's skill.

You don't know that, r81.

I went an interpreted performance of Sweeney Todd with a blind friend. It was cool getting to handle his murder weapon razor!

I don't know if they still do this, but in the past one was able to watch the PBS show Mystery with audio description for visually impaired on a specific track as well.

Lisa Carling and people like her only do this to cement their own precarious position in the new hierarchy.

[quote]it's obvious that today in ads black actors are far more over-represented than the percentage of population. White voters notice this.

"I was going to vote Biden in 2024 but then I saw too many Negros in prescription medication commercials tonight, so I'll be voting Trump, even if I have to write him in!"

I think it's subtler than that. More like "I'm not thrilled with Republicans, but Democrats are fixated on race."

Thank you MAGA Whisperer at r86 but I'm pretty sure that's just a slightly more polite version of the exact same sentiment.

I was a stage manager for a production of a play. There were two ASL interpreters, a man & a woman.

They asked for a small table and two chairs to be on stage right with a tablecloth and plates, etc.

While the entire audience was not deaf - it was a special night that had been promoted to the local deaf community.

It was very interesting to see. Of course ASL is much different than signed English. Both of the interpreters had read the play and attended a few performances before the day they came to work.

Sometimes now when I am watching a show, I also watch the interpreters from time to time....they are almost always very good and blend into the show so well. This firing is of course Bullshit.

Shelly Guy is Israeli. I know that legally that's considered white, but she'd be far from the only Middle Eastern person to consider herself a "person of color." She looks Mizrahi.

Some in the deaf community advocate for actual deaf people to do interpreting. Have the Lion King powers considered that as well? They could be opening up a whole can of worms here.

I could see that possibly for a dramatic play, but musicals should have an interpreter who can include the feel of the scores as well.

[quote] the feel of the scores

What do you mean?

Blacks are just as sick and tired of wokeness as whites. They know these equity gestures are bullshit. White liberal women are the architects of this anti white movement once confined to college and law school campuses but is now everywhere.

[quote] You don't know that, [R81]. —abitontheside

R82 You're not convincing me that I should be paying for your services.

Putting a show is expensive at it is. Producers would be chary of paying extra money for extraneous issues.

R92: coordinate the ASL to the rhythm of the music.

R67 That woman has too much hair.

What does her back look like?

[quote]How does one gauge that? There's no tangible way to measure an interpreter's skill.

Deaf people are more than capable of measuring an interpreter's skill. ASL is an actual language, not just hands flapping around, and song interpretation is part of any college's ASL curriculum. I had to interpret a song for my ASL 2 class. The deaf instructor graded us, so yes, there are skill measurements.

I'm not convinced that many, if not most, words in the English language can be conveyed in hand signals.

R98: actually they can, but if necessary for clarification, or using a technical term, the English word is spelled out.

^ I am sceptical

ASL is NOT a word for word translation of a sentence or lyric.

The verb/noun placement is different and some emotions, adverbs, and other words are conveyed by facial expressions. It is an entire language of its own. So the interpreter doesn't have to do a word by word translation of the sentence or lyric.

Watch a few videos on You Tube to see the difference.

[quote]I'm not convinced that many, if not most, words in the English language can be conveyed in hand signals.

I'm not convinced that you know what you're talking about.

[quote]I am sceptical

Oh, you're trolling. Bravo!

[quote]I'm not convinced that many, if not most, words in the English language can be conveyed in hand signals.

You must be really sceptical of Russian and Korean.

Little known fact. Adolph Hitler's first career choice was Theater Sign-Language Interpreter but he was fired for being too white.

He swore he would get revenge.

I bet Sarah Porkalob, who I believe posted upthread, is pretty happy this show is the new focus.

I bet Sarah Porkalob wouldn't allow anyone else on stage intruding into her limelight.

The need for more POC ASL interpreters was raised in Canada a couple of years ago.

[quote]White liberal women are the architects of this anti white movement once confined to college and law school campuses but is now everywhere.

Truth.

R107 I groan whenever I see a headline saying X, Y, and Z is "a human rights problem'.

It usually means that certain niche people want more taxpayers' money to subsidise their pay packet for whatever it is they are doing.

They settled.

R110 the insanity:

“You disgusted me,” Randy Spann, host of the deaf talk show The Real Talk with Randy, said in video response to Wann’s lawsuit. “Enough is enough. Let black people get their opportunities to get a spotlight.”

In a viral TikTok video, deaf performer Raven Sutton blasted Wann for his decision to sue the theatre group.

“This is not discrimination,” Sutton signed on the video that amassed over 57,000 views. “Reverse racism is not a thing. Stop taking all the jobs when we have black interpreters that are the better fit. Wipe your own white tears because we are not going to do it for you.”

Well, he certainly did, R104. The Producers was a smash more than once !

R111 What a soulless evil cunt! What do you do with people who are so racist that they experience no empathy and can't be reasoned with?

R20, I know exactly who I'm angry at. Murdoch's right-wing agenda is one of the most corrosive forces in our society. Every single NYPost story linked here stokes the fires for hatred, racism, homophobia or some other bigotry. There's always some right-wing motive behind the stories. The NYPost is Brietbart in a more expensive suit.

Fuck Rupert Murdoch's NYPost!

I'm triggered.

R114 likes to shoot the messenger while ignoring the message.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw endorses this decision.

R116, when the messenger controls the messaging, then it's the messenger's destructive effect on our society that's important.

Non-story. Disgruntled cunt went to Murdoch's New York Post with the story. This is the story they led with the day the rest of the world was talking about the Democrats staving off the RED WAVE.

Sure, R119. Sure.

[quote]Gugu Mbatha-Raw endorses this decision.

What is this referencing? I like her and want to know if she's an idiot or not.

Well they ended up settling, no? Guess the one's being sued knew he had a case.

Of course he had a case. You can't tell people you are firing them because of their race. The fact that this is not obvious to the crazies in the SJWokester contingent is proof that they are crazy.

R119 wants you all to “SAY HER NAME!!! NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!!!!”

[quote] Gugu Mbatha-Raw ... I like her and want to know if she's an idiot or not.

R120, you can't expect other people to be everything you want. They have their own lives and issues to contend with.

R124, I'd just like a link because I don't know what that poster is referring to. Did she actually say something about this? Yes, I googled.

TDF settled quickly because they knew they were going to lose badly in court.

Hiring and firing people because of their race is ALWAYS ILLEGAL, you fucking dopes!

[Quote] What do you do with people who are so racist that they experience no empathy and can't be reasoned with?

R113 They have already established this near fact (among the non-'right wing bigots') that "racism = power + something else I can't remember". So this kind is not racist/racism at all to them.

[quote]White liberal women are the architects of this anti white movement once confined to college and law school campuses but is now everywhere.

They are also responsible for the anti-America sentiment emanating from the Left.

Furthermore, the reason for all of the foreigners in American films/TV shows within the past 15 years or so, including as American characters/icons, is due to white liberal women having acquired positions of power in Hollywood and their disdain for fellow Americans. (White gay liberals are very similar in that regard, as many DL threads/posts would attest.)

I have friends who are working actors and they have complained about all the jobs/opportunities they lose to foreigners, as well as the anti-white and anti-America work atmosphere. They're afraid to speak up about all this lest they be canceled or something.

In short, white liberal women are very self-loathing about being white and American -- even about being female, in regards to the transgender issue.

I don't trust these women in powerful positions anymore. Hillary was the last one I voted for. But now I view them as potential Benedict Arnolds.

Have to agree with R128. I'm active at book groups on other sites, and older white women squeal with joy at each book released with the theme of racism.

[quote]In short, white liberal women are very self-loathing about being white and American -- even about being female, in regards to the transgender issue.

But Datalounge is 99% white gay male, mostly hard left, and everything you describe.

Could some of you ass clowns release stats on the alleged white women in power in Hollywood? Hollywood is mostly run by white men and you know it

Mostly conservative white men.

[quote]But Datalounge is 99% white gay male, mostly hard left, and everything you describe.

The big difference is that DL posters keep it on DL, whereas the woke white women speak up at every opportunity and inject themselves into everything that titillates their clits.

There is no difference between woke white gay men, and woke white women.

Guess it's time for our monthly incel invasion. It's always around the first of the month. Do you think they are all energized because they used their welfare money to restock their basement with Cheetos?

[quote]They are also responsible for the anti-America sentiment emanating from the Left.

I disagree with this a lot. I have seen this from all types. White people, POC people… I think this blame white women for all of America’s ills is just the scapegoating du jour. On DL it’s been around longer, but as usual it’s just completely distorted to the point of absurdity. Very on trend though.

No one is blaming all white women, since young, SJW, white, eastern college liberals arts women and their radical professors are to blame.

[quote] blame

There must be some reason for all this recent tomfoolery

[quote] But Datalounge is 99% white gay male, mostly hard left…

I don't think so, R130.