Many of you may have heard part of my remarks during a protest. In trying to explain my frustration that Democrats have failed to recognize and address the unjust incarceration of people with disabilities in nursing facilities and other institutions, I used absolutely inappropriate language. My concern for those locked in institutions because they are disabled should never have been stated in a way that minimized concern for those locked in other institutions that are equally abhorrent. That was wrong.
I cannot apologize strongly enough. I have long fought the use of the Oppression Olympics and my lack of forethought that day allowed me to slip into it myself. Ableism, racism, and xenophobia have and continue to oppress many in our community and my words only served to erase – and simultaneously add to – that oppression. I make no excuses for this, and I am truly sorry for the harm it has caused.
[Read more…]