Extreme WHAT Wrestling?!

A letter to reach out for help and to vent my frustration ... 

Dear City of Chandler, "Extreme ___ Wrestling" and HDE Agency, 

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Erin Parsons. I am the mother of two amazing children. My son Ryan is 5 years old and has a form of dwarfism. And today, Ryan stands MUCH taller than you. 

I'm writing this letter in regards to the upcoming event in Chandler, AZ that is hosting "Extreme Midget Wrestling" on 9/16/17. It's beyond frustrating to me to witness the lack of concern regarding this event. Please take a moment to read this. I ask you to think about my sweet amazing 5 year old that is made a joke from this event in our very own community. I hope you think about him, about other little people, and maybe you know someone that has a condition that makes them different. 

For many, the "M Word" is not understood. After all, dwarfism is really rare. I too lacked understanding of the condition until Ryan came along. In fact, my son was the first little person I had ever met. So with this in mind, I took it in consideration that perhaps you weren't aware of how hurtful this word and event is to my son, his family and to others with dwarfism. So I made a phone call. My husband wrote an amazing letter. Our local LPA (Little People of America) wrote letters and made calls. And we received a response. But unfortunately our joy for this response quickly dissipated as we were told that though this event is happening in our community, that it wasn't hosted directly by the city and therefore could not be canceled. This isn't right. 

The wrestling event is using the "M Word". Perhaps you may wonder what is hurtful about this word? For starters the word "midget" comes from the word midge which means "small fly". Please don't call my son a small fly. Please don't label him a pest. And please don't give him the idea that he isn't worth more than a pesky fly. The "M Word" also promotes a negative stereotype about people with dwarfism. It's reinforcing the idea that little people are a joke to be laughed at. Please don't laugh at my son. Don't point at him. Please don't make it ok to laugh at his condition. The "M Word" is a disempowering word that makes a little person feel "less than". It's dehumanizing. It's humiliating. It's about basic respect and not labeling people. 

Take a look at the comments in social media advertisements for your event. There are countless comments spreading hatred towards little people. Comments that are crude. And hurtful. And every single comment is about my son. They are about other children that share the same condition. They are about the short-statured professionals that he looks up to. They are about doctors, teachers, lawyers, students and actors. They are about my 5 year old son. And he's so awesome. The kid can light up a room with his smile. His determination and love for life is incredible. I'm so proud of the life he leads. But it has taken work. And when the "M Word" is used, our hard work unravels. The comments that I see in your advertisements are the reason my son will struggle. And he deserves better. He deserves respect. Especially from his own local community. 

You have shared that this event that is "designed to generate new awareness while benefiting the fundraising efforts for the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership (DCCP), a 501(c) 6 nonprofit corporation whose mission is to mobilize leadership and resources to advance the development of downtown Chandler as a regional destination for shopping, dining, living, culture and the arts". The wrestling event surely doesn't support this mission. It clearly lacks in culture, class and above all, basic leadership morals. 

Please think about what the wrestling event says to my son. Please give him and others with his condition the respect and life that they deserve. 

Thank you

Erin and Ryan Parsons