Checking in: SXSW apologizes after telling Olympic fencer to remove hijab - CNET

"It is not our policy that a hijab or any religious head covering be removed in order to pick up a SXSW badge," event organizers said in a statement. "This was one volunteer who made an insensitive request and that person has been removed for the duration of the event. We are embarrassed by this and have apologized to Ibtihaj in person, and sincerely regret this incident."

The incident is sure to be embarrassing for SXSW, which has doubled down on discussing diversity issues this year. In October, the festival started a firestorm after it canceled two panels about harassment in video gaming. After receiving heavy criticism and threats from media outlets to boycott the festival, SXSW instead created an entire all-day summit devoted to discussing online harassment.

Even an event as free-spirited as South by Southwest has diversity struggles. Perhaps the most telling example of the festival's struggles is its check-in processes -- actually quite an apt metaphor. Those processes have been illustrative of how the 30-year-old festival is still trying to deal with the nuances, emotions, and even logistics of trying to create a more diverse environment.