New Mexico brand inspector says livestock board fired him over hairstyle

Christian Patrick said his superior told him his hairstyle of locs braided into a bun was not presentable in front of New Mexico livestock producers.(CN) — A New Mexico teenager sued the state livestock board Wednesday, saying he was fired from his job as a brand inspector for refusing to cut his hair.Nineteen-year-old Christian Patrick said it took three days on the job in Carlsbad, New Mexico, for a superior to tell him his hair, twisted into locs and tied into a bun, “doesn’t look presentable,” when interacting with livestock producers.Barry Allen, the board’s chief law enforcement officer, gave Patrick a choice: his hair or his job.“If you don’t stand for nothing you’ll fall for anything,” Patrick said in a video posted to Facebook by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico.The state ACLU chapter represents Patrick in his lawsuit, in which he accuses the New Mexico Livestock Board of race-based discrimination in violation of the New Mexico Human Rights Act.“Allen’s statement that Mr. Patrick’s hair did not look presentable, with no other explanation, made it clear to Mr. Patrick that defendant Allen’s actions were motivated based on his race and hairstyle commonly worn by others of his race,” ACLU attorneys wrote in the complaint, filed in Bernalillo County.Patrick said he spoke to Human Resources Manager Stephanie Lujan and his direct supervisor, Daniel Dictson, who both told him his hair would not be a problem. When pressed, Allen said he had received word from Executive Director Belinda Garland that Patrick’s hair would violate the grooming standards of the Southern New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy, which he would have been required to attend to become a certified law enforcement officer.Garland said the academy may have different grooming standards than the livestock board.That academy’s standards require hair to be “conservatively short.” The New Mexico Livestock Board’s 2024 employee handbook states that hair must be kept clean and neatly trimmed, but does not specify that it must be short.Patrick worked on a large ranch in high school and participated in Future Farmers of America. He is an experienced bull rider and, in his junior year, attended a bareback riding school where a scout offered him a scholarship to Mesalands Community College in eastern New Mexico.Instead, the son of a police officer turned toward law enforcement after injuring his wrist while riding.“Allen did not state any other reason, other than his hairstyle, that Mr. Patrick was not qualified for this position,” Patrick’s attorneys wrote in the complaint.In response to an April Facebook post from New Mexico for Equine Rights and Open Government, commenters posted pictures of female livestock board inspectors wearing their hair in long ponytails and buns similar to Patrick’s hairstyle.“This is obvious racism on full display and it is sickening,” one commenter wrote. “The ‘good old boys’ won’t change, they should be replaced immediately. What a sad example of humanity and a blight on NM. We should be better than this! Governor, do your job and reinstate this young man.”Patrick said he wrote to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham but never received a reply. In 2021, Lujan Grisham signed New Mexico’s version of the CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination based on hairstyles and hair textures.When Allen told Patrick he would have to cut his hair, Patrick stepped outside Allen’s office to call his grandmother and consider his options. After deciding not to cut his hair, Patrick informed Dictson, who in turn informed Allen of Patrick’s decision. Patrick did not speak to Allen directly.In response to Patrick’s request that the board reconsider, Garland offered a different account of the events.“To be clear you were never terminated,” she wrote. “Rather, you resigned and left without notifying upper management. Additionally, no one at the NMLB stated that your employment was contingent on you cutting your hair based upon NMLB grooming standards. The New Mexico Livestock Board does not control the grooming standards for Law Enforcement Academies. Further, you never made any formal complaint that would allow NMLB to review the concerns stated in your email prior to resigning.”Patrick lodged a discrimination charge with the state in July, but the Department of Workforce Solutions’ Human Rights Bureau issued an order of non-determination.The state has not replied to a request for comment.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads