A county fair in Virginia has received backlash for what some said was a racist image on a carnival ride.
The Monkey Maze at the Arlington County Fair is covered with several pictures of monkeys, but one particular image caught some people's attention: a monkey in a pink dress with braids in its hair, applying lipstick.
"This is not OK at our county fair," fairgoer David Rosenblatt said on Twitter. "Racist caricatures don't represent our values."
Other fairgoers spoke out about the image, including Faith Richardson, who said it was racist.
"We felt like it was kind of racist to our kind of people," Richardson said. "We love coming to the fair and we feel like the fair should be a place where everybody feels welcome."
The Arlington County Fair's board of directors told the owner to cover up the image, and by Friday, the image was hidden behind a white sheet. Board Chair Kyle Thornhill said the fair is committed to being inclusive.
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"Personally, I respect everyone's views and wanted to make sure we handled the situation if someone felt uncomfortable with it," Thornhill said.
The owner said that although the ride had been around for seven years, it was the first time he'd ever gotten such complaints.
Other fairgoers said they didn't see a problem with the image.
"I don't think it's offensive. I think it's just a simple image," Aaron Zavala said. "No harm's done. Everybody's here just to enjoy their day."
The owner said he plans to keep bringing the Monkey Maze to other county fairs in the future, but he is considering painting over the image.
"That kind of behavior shouldn't be tolerated here," said fairgoer Gail Perry.
