Peter Meijer, a Republican candidate for Congress in Michigan, canceled a performance by the group Drag Syndrome because people with Down syndrome are 'special souls' who need to be 'protected.'
Peter Meijer, a Republican candidate for Congress in Michigan, canceled a scheduled performance by a group of drag performers with Down syndrome in a venue he owns because he feared they were being"exploited," calling them"special souls" who need to be"protected."
"The differently abled are among the most special souls in our community, and I believe they, like children and other vulnerable populations, should be protected," Meijer wrote in the letter, which was released in a response from DisArt, an organization advocating for disabled artists. DisArt is also a producer of the upcoming performance.
"The involvement of individuals whose ability to act of their own volition is unclear raises serious ethical concerns that I cannot reconcile," he added in the letter. "The notion that I am discriminating against the disabled is profoundly offensive — DisArt is exploiting individuals with Down syndrome to further an activist message, plain and simple," Meijer said in the statement.
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