Texas mother says daughter off cheerleading squad for curly hair

By Tina Nazerian

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Texas mother has accused a cheerleading company of discrimination for demanding that her 11-year-old daughter straighten her curly hair so she could join her team in a competition.

The Woodlands Elite Cheer Company, which bills itself as a teaching leader for competitive cheerleading and recreational tumbling, denied the accusation, but said in a statement that there are standards in appearance by which it asks it members to abide.

“It discriminates against girls who cannot or do not want to alter the texture of their hair as it risks damaging the hair," Jenny Fallaw, the girl's mother, said on Tuesday.

"Removing her from the team sends a message that, for some reason, straight hair is better."

She said her daughter Makayla did not comply and did not compete.

Woodlands said in its statement that it has 44 teams and all of them have uniform requirements that include a team hair style to be worn 14 days per year.

"To be clear, none of our team hair styles require any type of chemical alterations,” it said.

"Some of our athletes on teams that require straightened pony tails simply put their hair up in a tight bun and insert a straightened hair piece."

(Editing by Jon Herskovitz)