California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Saturday that requires entertainment database sites such as IMDb to remove an actor’s age if asked by the actor to do so.
Majority Leader Ian Calderon (D-Whittier), who authored the legislation (AB 1687), affirmed that subscribers should have control over whether their ages and dates of birth are on subscription websites used for employment purposes.
“AB 1687 provides a necessary clarification in the law that will help prevent age-based discrimination for individuals seeking employment in the entertainment industry,” Calderon said in June, when the measure passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.
SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris encouraged union members to contact Gov. Brown’s office with their personal stories to argue for the importance of the bill.
“Age discrimination is a major problem in our industry, and it must be addressed,” Carteris posted on the union’s website Sept. 16. “SAG-AFTRA has been working hard for years to stop the career damage caused by the publication of performers’ dates of birth on online subscription websites used for casting like IMDb. We are now in the final stages of securing the enactment of a California law that would help combat age discrimination by giving performers the right to request the removal of their date of birth when it’s included on online subscription sites.”
“Currently, many websites used for casting proactively present birthdates and ages to casting decision makers who often can’t avoid seeing this information even if they try. That’s wrong for performers, just like it’s wrong for all employees.”