Orlando, FL – Twenty-one years ago Alex Domer was born with hexadactyly. It doesn't mean he's got dinosaur wings, it means he's got six fingers on each hand.
He's lived a normal life, and most of the time his condition goes unnoticed. However, yesterday he became a victim of discrimination when he was barred from entering a Guitar Hero tournament being held at the Universal Studios park in Orlando
“It hasn't been so bad living with six fingers,” said Domer. “Occasionally I'll get the 'You killed my father' jokes, but that wasn't bad. Now, because of my birth defect I'm being accused of having an unfair advantage. It's ridiculous.”
Domer has won three previous Guitar Hero tournaments which have helped him work his way through college. “It still takes skill to win these tournaments. It's not just because of the extra fingers,” said Domer, but tournament organizers don't see it that way.
Dominic Oltman, who set up the tournament for Universal said, “Having six fingers gives Mr. Domer an unfair advantage. While other players have to shift their fingers between the five buttons, he can just leave his fingers in place. We had to take action for the integrity of the tournament.”
Many entrants in the tournament feel the ban is justified. “Guys with six fingers already get enough advantages in this world. They get better jobs because they can type faster. They're more attractive to the ladies. They can count to twelve before everybody else. It's just not fair,” said professional video gamer, Eddie Hedger.
The ACLU is looking into filing a discrimination suit on behalf of Domer. Derrick Harney, a lawyer for the ACLU, said, “This case is very similar to the suit we filed on behalf of Johnny “Four Legs” Chang who was banned from a Dance Dance Revolution tournament in 2001. That suit was settled out of court, and should give us leverage for a settlement in this case.”
Oltman said the tournament will go on as planned on Saturday. The winner will receive $5,000 and a limited edition Guitar Hero controller signed by members of Aerosmith.
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