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Florida Lawmaker Leads Controversial Job Creation Fight By Teresa Cajot It appears as though the state of Florida is guilty of eliminating job opportunities and impeding on “the freedom and liberties of people.” At least that’s how state Representative Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, sees the situation and he is fighting back. Last week, Workman filed House Bill 4063 which, if passed, would lift a ban on the activity of “dwarf-tossing.”
According to Workman, the current ban only serves to “prevent some dwarfs from getting jobs they would be happy to get.” He questions the logic in preventing “people from getting gainful employment” and has vowed to fight the “archaic kind of Big Brother Law” that Florida Statute 561.665 represents. The current law, which was established in 1989, gives the state the authority to impose a $1,000 fine and revoke the liquor license of any bar that hosts “dwarf-tossing” events or any form of “exploitation endangering the health, safety, and welfare of any person with dwarfism.” “Dwarf-tossing,” a competition that involves the throwing of a padded dwarf as far as possible, became popular in the state in the late 1980s. However, many see the activity as degrading, dangerous, and uncivilized. Even Workman admits that he would never encourage someone to participate in the activity, nor would he have any desire to watch it himself. Nevertheless, he insists that it is up to the individual, and not the state, to decide if this kind of activity is something they want to be associated with.
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There has been at least one lawsuit filed by a little person who disagreed with the ban but many others have shown strong and ongoing support for the ban. According to Gary Arnold, the president of the Little People of America, the ban has served as a means of protecting the dwarf community as a whole. According to Robert Van Etten, former president of Little People of America, many of the people who participated in this activity were alcoholics. In fact, the former carnival worker credited with bringing “dwarf-tossing” to the state died of alcohol poisoning in 1989. There was no evidence to suggest that he died from injuries related to his job but according to the Florida district director of the Little People of America, the risk of paralysis from such activity is high. Perhaps Workman would benefit from listening to individuals like Leah Smith, spokesperson for the Little People of America, who suggested that his time would be better spent focusing on issues of workplace discrimination and the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities.
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