Recently, in 2012, a Florida representative made headlines when he wanted to repeal a 1989 ban on dwarf tossing in bars, saying, "it's not for the government to tell consenting little people what they can do with their bodies." And that was the problem. The ban didn't only apply to non-consenting people, but also to little people who did this for a living, or at least to augment their incomes. Whether or not you agree with the ethical questions of throwing another person, the point is this: I feel that it's similar to the push to ban sideshows that succeeded in the early 1950s. What those crusaders and do-gooders didn't realize is that in ending the sideshow, they were taking away one of the performers' only viable sources of income. And I think banning dwarf tossing undermines the bodily autonomy of little people.
No matter if you disagree with it on safety grounds, or whether you think it's just mean, I think adults, no matter their height, should be able to do what they will with their own bodies, even if someone else finds it exploitative. People with disabilities must be respected as people first, capable of making their own choices. I'm not made of porcelain, and I can make my own decisions.
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