Dear Friends:
Please join the Golisano Foundation, Special Olympics, Best Buddies and other advocates across the U.S. to appeal to a comedian named Tom Segura and to Netflix, which broadcasts his work, to eliminate his disparaging and unacceptable mockery of people with Down syndrome in his routine.
Despite Special Olympics' appeal and Mr. Segura’s expressions of support, he and Netflix have refused to remove this offensive piece of his routine.
We believe in the dignity of all human beings and
share a commitment to ending the centuries old discrimination against people with ID
. In our many lines of work, advocacy, social and personal commitments, we encourage people all over the world to meet, befriend, play with, teach, represent, employ, and care for and support people with ID.
As you have helped us “spread the word to end the word” — to sensitize Americans to the hateful connotations of the word “retard” and other disparaging slurs —
we ask now for your help to appeal to comedian Tom Segura and Netflix, to change his use of offensive content designed to ridicule and shame people with Down syndrome
, a genetic condition. Hurt speech is no laughing matter.
While freedom of speech is a right we all cherish, promoting or condoning speech that degrades and dehumanizes people with ID is wrong.
People with Down syndrome have done nothing to deserve to be the butt of Mr. Segura’s humor in a Netflix-produced special.
We all need to spread the word about the inclusion revolution
— an all-out effort to end discrimination against people with ID, based on the idea that when we choose to include, we all benefit, and things change in a positive way for everyone.
We reiterate our heartfelt appeal to Tom Segura and Netflix:
stop the offensive and hurtful speech and remove the offensive content
.
