You can say 'crippled' in public (in the US)

An American comedy promoter who asked members of the public if they wanted to ‘laugh at the crippled girl’ has been cleared of disorderly conduct.

Forest Thomer said his court victory was a triumph for free speech.

He was arrested while doing ‘guerrilla marketing’ at a park festival in Cincinnati. He approached potential punters with the provocative sales pitch, then pointed to disabled comic Ally Bruener, who would tell them a gag and plug the next show at his club.

A member of the chamber of commerce running the event complained to police – the only complaint lodged on the day – and 25-year-old Thomer was arrested. The office who charged him accused him of using ‘grossly abusive language’, a crime that carries a maximum 30-day jail sentence.

However, his lawyer Danielle Anderson told Hamilton County Court: ‘It might be tasteless and you might not agree with it, but it's legal’, and the jury agreed.

Bruener, picturedwho is on a crusade to remove the stigma from the word ‘crippled’, said the case was ‘unnecessary from the beginning’.

Published: 2 Nov 2012