A recent little-person positive TikTok is going viral after it highlighted the pro dwarf-throwing views of a Donald Trump-appointed circuit appeals judge. The video, from an account called Dwarfism History, spotlighted past comments from judge Neomi Rao, who was picked to replace Supreme Court judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Dwarfism History is a TikTok channel with videos hosted by little person @Aubrey Smalls. In a video titled “should i run for president,” Smalls breaks down Rao’s past comments through the eyes of someone with the condition. While Rao was in March of 2019, the video reexamines her positions in a more critical light.
“One of the people Donald Trump appointed is a huge supporter of Dwarf Throwing?” Smalls said incredulously. “I mean she has literally written articles and on multiple occasions defended people’s right to throw a dwarf. She watched Wolf of Wall Street and said, ‘I know what my next project is.'”
You might be asking yourself, what’s the big deal? Smalls explores that as well. “People have died from dwarf throwing, mind you, people who weren’t even participating.” Smalls then describes an actor named Martin Henderson who was randomly picked up and thrown outside of a pub. He was subsequently paralyzed.
Henderson had the misfortune of being in close proximity to a “dwarf tossing” event during the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Peter Dinklage highlighted Henderson’s story when he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor award in 2012. Henderson passed away in 2016.
Part of the problem is that when people see a little person being thrown in mainstream media is that it normalizes it, Smalls explained. It also minimizes acting opportunities when this is one of the only jobs you can get as a little person actor.
“And then you have cuckoo for cocoa puffs” like Rao writing articles in favor of it, Smalls explained. He ends the video by asking for support to ban dwarf tossing in his state, something that’s been considered only on a state-by-state basis.
So what did Rao have to say about this at her confirmation hearing? She said dwarf tossing shouldn’t be banned because it denies little people the ability to work and support themselves.
When pressed on the issue by Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Rao said she was simply “pointing out” the issue and that she didn’t “take a position one way or another.” Pretty sure saying something should be legal is taking a position, but these are politicians we’re talking about and the doublespeak is strong in this one.
Hirono felt compelled to point out the obvious: “I think your article has been interpreted as that you were OK with dwarf-tossing.” You think? This position by itself is enough to give someone pause, but Rao also wrote a piece for the Yale Herald in 1994 that put the onus for sexual assault on the person assaulted as much as the assaulter.
She wrote: “Unless someone made her drinks undetectably strong or forced them down her throat, a woman, like a man, decides when and how much to drink. And if she drinks to the point where she can no longer choose, well, getting to that point was part of her choice.” Oh but there’s more:
She said “a good way to avoid a potential date rape is to stay reasonably sober.” Obviously that’s not going to go over well, so she tried to clarify at the hearing by saying it was simply a “common sense observation” and that “I certainly regret any implication of blaming the victim.”
Before we wrap up, let’s highlight some other fun discriminatory Rao writings. She asserted that homosexuality was a “correctable behavior” and is “immoral, unnatural, and contrary to religious doctrine.” She also called it an “activity,” implying it was more of a choice. In terms of race relations, Rao, who is South Asian and American, has disparaged Black people and used the term “oreo” before.
While all of these things would seem to disqualify her from holding one of the most powerful judicial positions in the country, it’s a good time to remember that while in theory judges are supposed to be objective and removed from their positions, they are human beings and judicial appointments in this political era are just that: political. She is a Trump nominee and she is loyal to that. She’s made that much clear.