After months of protests, officials from Cirque du Soleil reportedly announced Jan. 29 that they would re-hire HIV-positive gymnast Matthew Cusick, 32. They let him go for fear he would transmit the disease to colleagues.
The protests may not have been the straw that broke the Cirque’s back.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued its harshest ruling against Cirque for firing Cusick, according to Lambda Legal. The Los Angeles division of the EEOC handled the investigation and issued a ’cause to believe’ Cirque du Soleil may have illegally discriminated against the former performer.
‘It’s been demonstrated to us that the risks are minimal, so we feel confident that safety can be ensured,’ said Cirque spokeswoman Renee-Claude Menard.