VANCOUVER, BC – Casual fine dining chain Earls Restaurants has announced that in response to a human rights complaint lodged last spring, it will be dropping the Albino Rhino name that is has used for its house brand beers for over 25 years.
The complaint was filed with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal in March 2012 by Ikponwosa (I.K.) Ero, a woman with albinism who felt that the use of “Albino” in the name of the beer, as well as in other Earls marketing, was discriminatory.
In a statement posted on the Earls website, the company states that while it doesn’t agree with the complaint, and never intended the branding to refer to or discriminate against people with albinism, it has chosen to drop the branding to allow all members of the public to feel welcome at its restaurants.
The Albino Rhino name will be removed from all menus and marketing materials in the Earls chain by April 24th.