Pregnant Disney dancer claims gender bias in lawsuit

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A former aerial dancer at Walt Disney World has sued the resort alleging gender discrimination, saying she was fired after she became pregnant with twins and went on an 11-month leave.

Krista Crowder filed the lawsuit in state court in Orlando last week.

In the lawsuit, Crowder says she was a performer in the Festival of the Lion King show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. She took maternity leave in 2015 and wasn’t medically cleared to return to work until the next year.

She says she was told she had to audition for her role upon returning. She was later fired.

In a statement, Disney says it has a long-standing policy against workplace discrimination and will respond to the allegations in court.