Little Person Kicked Off Kid's Ride Claims Age Discrimination

TAMPA, FL — A 3-foot-9-inch-tall St. Petersburg man is claiming that Busch Gardens Tampa discriminated against him after he was kicked off a children's ride at the theme park at Sunday.

Shane Moore, 27, said he was humiliated Sunday when he got onto the Gwazi Gliders kids' ride with a friend's daughter because she was scared and was ordered off the ride by a park employee who told him he couldn't ride because he's an adult.

Moore, a computer engineer, said the ride's rules say nothing about an age limit for the Gwazi Gliders. The rules only specify that riders be under 56 inches tall. Moore is 45 inches tall.

He posted a cell phone video of the encounter at Busch Gardens on his Facebook page Monday. The video immediately went viral.

He said the decision to remove him from the ride was arbitrary, "solely based on the judgement of me looking too old, as stated by 'Sam' who ran the ride.

"Thanks for ruining a fun day based off of your discriminating judgement," he commented. "I can’t believe a representative behind a worldwide name actually did this. What an embarrassment."

Busch Gardens responded with the following statement:

“There is nothing more important than the safety of our guests and employees. Rides, like Gwazi Gliders, are designed and operated according to industry standards and safety guidelines as well as manufacturer specifications. For this particular ride, there are restrictions that deal with both height and age. Children must be 56” or less in order to ride, and no adults are allowed. We apologize for any confusion, and continue to remain committed to providing excellent guest service for all our visitors.”

Moore said the statement from the theme park only added fuel to his fire.

"I was remaining on the calmer side and educated side until now," he said. "This is a total elementary reply from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. People are stating that they have been allowed to ride with their kids before at this park."

He said if the age of the rider is a problem, it should be spelled out in the rules.

In fact, he said, Busch Gardens' own Accessibility Guide never addresses the age of the Gwazi Gliders rider other than stating that "handheld infants are not permitted."

"For your safety, you should ride only if you are in good health," reads the Accessibility Guide. "Guests who know or suspect that may be pregnant, have high blood pressure, heart conditions, neck or back problems, recent surgery, sensitivity to strobe effects, prone to motion sickness, have a heightened sensitivity to dark enclosed places or any other impairment or medical condition that may be affected by the features of this ride or prevent the normal seating or use of the safety restraints as provided, shall not ride."

"There is written proof," said Moore. "If age is a problem, it needs to be present. Otherwise, it’s discrimination. Now I feel targeted. Thanks for denying me access to something that I have a right to get on and have done in the past without issue."

Moore said he could understand if the theme park prohibited him from riding the park's thrill rides "due to safety reasons." But he said safety wasn't a factor in the case of the Gwazi Glider.

"I follow the rules; no argument," he said. "But then I get told that I can’t ride a small ride that I’m allowed to ride solely based off looks?"

Moore added that it's not his intent to get anyone fired or to seek recompense. He said he simply wants the theme park to review and amend its ride policies regarding people of small stature.

"I will not let the Busch Gardens matter disappear," he said. "Their elementary response was utterly ridiculous and simply brushed away in a fake and false manner. This is a real issue. It's not the last time this will happen and that's exactly the point ... This comes down to a masked form of discrimination and deserves full attention."

When he headed to Busch Gardens on Sunday for a fun day with friends, Moore said he didn't set out to champion a cause.

"This whole issue happened naturally ...it was completely honest," he said. "God laid the example into my hands for a reason."