Rob Jeffries

Delroy Lindo called it “a classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive.” For families living with Tourette’s, this past week has not felt positive. Since the BAFTAs and what happened with John Davidson, I have been arguing that my son deserves to leave his home and be included in society like everyone else. I have had to explain, again and again, that Tourette’s is neurological. That tics are involuntary. That coprolalia is not belief, not intent, not character. Yet the conversation keeps circling back to whether people like John, and by extension my son, should simply stay home to avoid offending anyone. Stay home. Remove yourself. Do not attend events. Do not exist publicly in case your disability makes someone uncomfortable. That is the reality this week. This is not abstract for me. My son already navigates anxiety and the constant fear of being misunderstood. Inclusion cannot mean only if your disability is convenient. It cannot mean you are welcome as long as you do not embarrass us. My son deserves to leave the house. He deserves to attend events. He deserves to exist in public. And I am exhausted from having to argue that basic truth. – at Straiton, Scotland