The Grand Central Partnership is a nonprofit business improvement district, responsible for revitalizing the terminal and surrounding area. Today, however, it has been in the news because of this lawsuit filed by the EEOC on behalf of four security guards who claim to have been discriminated against because of their Rastafarian dreadlocks.

As AltReligion explains, in Rastafarianism dreadlocks are more than just stylized hair.

The uncut/unstyled hair typically clumps together in long ropes, which are considered a sign of faith, connecting the believer to the people of the Old Testament. The name "dreadlocks" refers to one who is "dread," a God-fearing believer.

Authentic Rasta dreadlocks are not to be confused with salon-created or "intentional" dreadlocks, which do not conform to Ratafarian teachings. Rasta doctrine dictates that dreadlocks form naturally in the hair when it is allowed to grow without interference.

The origin of the dreadlocks doctrine comes from the emulation of biblical "Nazarites," Old Testament prophets who did not cut their hair. Biblical justification for the practice comes from the Old Testament Book of Numbers.

As the complaint below relates, the hair had become so dense and unwieldy that it was unable to fit under the caps required to be worn by GCP. As diverse religious hairstyles, jewelry, clothing and other practices become more visible in a society where extension of the self is the new norm, expect cases like this to proliferate.