Every story needs a villain or two. One reason the Trayvon Martin story caught on so powerfully is that the dramatic cast was set from the start, with the rogue vigilante versus the innocent teenager on a snack run. One reason that Zimmerman was set free is that his lawyers successfully convinced the jury of…
Yesterday I was briefly interviewed by Debra Alfarone, a reporter for WUSA-9 in D.C. She, and her station, have been pursuing the Ethan story with considerable diligence lately. The video clip is here. I am really grateful to Alfarone’s willingness to pursue this story – not just for one clip or one quick hit of…
I haven’t followed every twist and turn of Jenny Hatch’s case, now decided in her favor, but here’s the quick summary. Hatch, a 29-year-old woman with Down syndrome, wanted to live with two friends, Kelly Morris and Jim Talbert, and work in their thrift store. Hatch’s verbal skills are great and she expressed this as…
This week, I’m going be writing about adults with disabilities, especially (of course) Down syndrome. A number of stories have been circulating lately and I have thoughts! I think I was onto something yesterday when I wrote that Ethan Saylor doesn’t fit the media narrative, and that’s part of why his story hasn’t “caught” in…
Two new essays on Ethan Saylor caught my eye this morning: First – Debra Alfarone, a reporter for W-USA 9 News in D.C., wrote a good short piece on the state of the Ethan Saylor case. The best reporting on the case has all come out of the D.C. area, even as the story has…
My good friend K. sent me these links yesterday on male feminism. I’m increasingly interested in articulating my thoughts as a male feminist (as opposed to just being one), now that I’ve personally experienced how threatening such an idea is to so many men (see the comment section here). In The Guardian, Jonathan Freedland argues…
When I was an early teenager, I read many marvelous books. Life was complicated in that privileged way upper middle glass over-educated way. My social skills and self-confidence were poor. I talked too much. I talked too much about the wrong things. I was teased and sometimes bullied in school. All of this is to…
So I published an essay on Ethan Saylor today, placing his death in the context of other episodes of police violence against people with disabilities. It’s at The Nation, my first publication there, and I’m pleased with it, though social media sharing has been a bit light (not a direct indication of readership, but suggestive…
Here’s the conversation between me and my son, Nico, last night, as he headed to use the toilet. Me: Nico, do you need a book? Nico: Di-no Me: Dino? Nico: Okay! So I handed him our shiny new copy of How do Dinosaurs Go to School. Nico has Down syndrome. More relevant: he has speech…
Yesterday, I received an email from Rebecca Sharpless, Associate Professor of History at Texas Christian University. It began (shared with permission): Dear David Perry, Thanks to you, I have now published in the New York Times. Last Thursday, when I was debating on whether to weigh in on the Paula Deen flap with her cook,…