John Davison BAFTA Tourette’s incident and competing rights

Everyone there knew. They’d all been warned.

And the only solution to this is to exclude people with Tourette’s in case they offend someone. Given that Richardson was there because a film that was about him and him life was up for best film award (and won), then he should have been the last person excluded.

instead, the people who thought that they might have hurt feelings because of his disability should have excluded themselves.

I honestly think all this is completely unnecessary and not the sort of thing the Baftas would ever provide for anything. It shouldn't need a whole load of song and dance preparation for one guy with Tourette's to go out for the evening. You hear an offensive word, you feel a moment of shock and revulsion, you realise it's the guy with Tourette's, you get over it.

Watch the film and then think if it’s comparable

look at the actual impact this has had on his life

he hasn’t had the chances the other guys have had and he never will

he has spent his life saying sorry

I have always been of the view that trans-identifying people should limit their lives in some way so that they don’t have to use single sex facilities when they are out and about.

I think the same in this instance, to be honest.

If he knew he was likely to be shouting slurs, he should have managed this by excusing himself at certain points of the evening.

The discussion of this issue over the past days have been important into raising a number of issues, Tourettes is not fully understood so it has raised awareness, it has also raised the issues of how there are conflict is how we deal with situations where different groups are concerned. I think the OP raises a very interesting point, I had been thinking myself about how this. I was orignially of the view that those at the awards were aware of the issue and therefore give en the film portrayed this maybe should have been aware of this (or made aware etc), however, having listened more to the debate and having thought about how this applies to other groups I have altered my views. I now think that the language used was so offensive and directed at individuals that if it is not possible to refrain from making these comments individuals should not attend, I agree that they might make those comments "in the street" but in this instance it was an event where it was likely to cause stress and there was a possibility of shouting out offensive comments.

If you actually read my first post, you’d see I provided suggestions:

• Proper briefing ahead of the ceremony; not the host saying a few words five minutes before it starts but every guest being given a briefing pack such as an intro video from John or a Tourette’s charity spokesman, reading materials on the subject or even a link to his movie or documentary to understand it better
• Live reaction planning; when it happened the host shouldn’t have given a generic ‘if you’ve been offended’ statement during the show but addressed it head on and apologised to MBJ and DL live on behalf of BAFTA/BBC
• Aftercare (yes even for millionaires 🙄); where was the person to meet MBJ and DL off stage immediately to check in, explain and apologise? Did anyone check in with JD after he left? Could someone have facilitated a meeting with MBJ, DL and JD (if the parties wanted that) or other correspondence so it could also be addressed privately between them?

DEI/crisis management isn’t my job but they know who’s being invited months in advance and the people organising the event should’ve planned way better to try and minimise a situation like this.

If you actually read my first post, you’d see I provided suggestions:

• Proper briefing ahead of the ceremony; not the host saying a few words five minutes before it starts but every guest being given a briefing pack such as an intro video from John or a Tourette’s charity spokesman, reading materials on the subject or even a link to his movie or documentary to understand it better
• Live reaction planning; when it happened the host shouldn’t have given a generic ‘if you’ve been offended’ statement during the show but addressed it head on and apologised to MBJ and DL live on behalf of BAFTA/BBC
• Aftercare (yes even for millionaires 🙄); where was the person to meet MBJ and DL off stage immediately to check in, explain and apologise? Did anyone check in with JD after he left? Could someone have facilitated a meeting with MBJ, DL and JD (if the parties wanted that) or other correspondence so it could also be addressed privately between them?

DEI/crisis management isn’t my job but they know who’s being invited months in advance and the people organising the event should’ve planned way better to try and minimise a situation like this.

It's a real shame that everyone there, including the actors who got upset, didn't hear the announcement at the start. It should have been properly clear to everyone involved and then the event could have just gone ahead with no problems. Anyone who couldn't cope with involuntary tics could have excused themselves. Maybe gone and sat in a separate room and listened to a sanitised feed that didn't upset them.

I assume none of the films being celebrated had any difficult or upsetting content. No murders, violence, sexual assaults or any such like depicted, as if words cause such upset presumably depictions of violence would be much worse.

How do you prevent someone from Tourettes from ticing so that black men don't get exposed to offensive words?

Perhaps you would like to offer a solution because the people with Tourettes would love one much more much than anyone who hears their verbal tics.

The nature of Tourettes is that EVERYONE is exposed to offense. The BBC / BAFTAs were celebrating his work in making people aware of this.

He kinda had to be there or it would defeat the purpose of the award and the film.

He has acknowledged it

“I wanted to thank BAFTA and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast. I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs.

I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me. In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and BAFTA, I can only add that I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.

I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I SWEAR, which more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome. I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”

wheelchair fell onto an audience member, injuring them. No one would call that a conflict of rights!!

This right here is the problem – at best unconscious bias at worst racism. The slur carries centuries of oppression, generational trauma, violence, and danger. It is not just a word or a one-off moment. An accident, regardless of intent, does not come anywhere near the historical weight or the impact it triggers for many black people. Intentional or not. A more appropriate comparison would be asking a female rape victim to reframe their trauma and share group counselling session with trans woman who had been raped.

A reasonable person can see that space should have been held for JD and others who live with Tourette’s, while also holding space for MJ, MBJ, and DLO. Two things can be true at once: it was unintentional, and it caused harm. Centering ableism erases the racial impact of the moment. A balanced response would acknowledge both the neurological reality of tics and racial harm of the slur not a hierarchy of harm which as usual put black people at the bottom of the pile.

The BBC should be ashamed.

How can it be seen as a matter of competing rights? This wasn't a situation where there are specific rights relating to Tourette's on the one hand and being Black on the other hand. The guy with Tourette's isn't claiming a 'right' to free speech that includes the right to say that offensive word. And I haven't heard any Black person claiming a 'right' to silence him.

Both parties have the same entitlement to understanding and respectful treatment. and they were both let down by a very poorly managed situation. It's analogous to a situation in which someone needed to use a wheelchair to get onto the stage, but access was so poorly designed that the wheelchair fell onto an audience member, injuring them. No one would call that a conflict of rights!!

Yes I’m serious. If a couple of millionaires and their families didn’t make time to understand Tourette’s when they had been made aware that Davidson would be there, that’s on them.

And I can be pretty certain that if that had been a totally white event and he’d shouted sexual slurs at women instead, no one would have cared.

I literally said he shouldn’t apologise but simply acknowledge the unfortunate impact his condition had on others that night. I’ve seen clips of him apologising to a woman in a supermarket just for saying fuck near her so I think a few words acknowledging the hurt and embarrassment caused to two men in front of millions isn’t too much to ask. It may not have had racist intent but it was a racist word said to multiple black people in a room full of their peers.

If my brakes failed and I ran someone over, I wouldn’t be at fault but I would acknowledge that I caused someone pain and regret that it happened.

Aftercare? For someone with a disability saying mean words to millionaires?

Grow the fuck up.

A quick Google search would tell you that there are disability awareness days and weeks throughout the year, including UK Disability History Month in November. This doesn’t need whataboutism; you create your own disability month if you want and black people will continue to celebrate Black History Month.

Some of the American response has been disappointing and demonstrates a lack of understanding about Tourettes. John absolutely had a right to be there but MBJ and DL also didn’t deserve to experience that language.