July 15, 2026- A 13-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department sued the city yesterday over the department’s hair policy as well as racial harassment and threats due to his hairstyle.

Represented by the Public Interest Law Center, Bariq Fluellen had previously filed an employment discrimination complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission—a procedural requirement to filing such a lawsuit. Now, the PHRC’s one-year period of jurisdiction has expired, and the Philadelphia Fire Department has failed to address the complaint or the harassment.

“I’ve served and protected my city with pride,” said Mr. Fluellen. “My hair is an important expression of who I am as a Black man and a Rastafarian. It’s deeply painful and humiliating that my city refuses to protect me from discrimination and harassment.”

The fire department’s policy restricts hair that exceeds 2 inches in bulk on the top of the head and 1.5 inches on the sides or back, which prohibits certain cultural and protective hairstyles such as Mr. Fluellen’s locs. Mr. Fluellen has served in the fire department since 2013 and has worn his hair in locs for years.

Despite meeting all fire safety standards while wearing locs, Mr. Fluellen has been singled out, harassed, warned that his hair could cost him a promotion, and threatened with discipline under the department’s discriminatory policy. The fire department’s conduct violates the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) and the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance which prohibit discrimination based on traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles.

Mr. Fluellen’s hair complies with every fire department safety standard. The fire department’s policy prohibits “hairstyles that do not allow personnel to wear headgear properly … or that allow hair to come in contact with the sealing surface of the [self-contained breathing apparatus] facepiece.” Mr. Fluellen has passed an annual SCBA fit test every year he has been on the force, including every year that he has worn locs.

“The fire department leadership and human resources had been repeatedly informed of the harassment but took no steps to address the issue or reform this arbitrary policy,” said Meghan Binford, Law Center staff attorney. “Mr. Fluellen puts his life on the line to serve the residents of Philadelphia. He should not have to worry about how he will be treated back at the station or whether he’ll lose his job because of his locs.”

Through this lawsuit, among other things, Mr. Fluellen seeks to end the racial harassment and change the discriminatory policy to accommodate cultural and protective hairstyles.

The lawsuit has been filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. A copy of the complaint is available here.