Okay, so this is apparently where we're at right now with all this Covid nonsense.
We have a little girl named Sydney in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Here she is with her mom during an interview:
Sydney has a disability, is non-verbal, and uses a wheelchair.
Sydney seems like a sweet girl, and it looks like she's surrounded by a group of loving individuals who likely bust their bottoms every day to keep her in good health. And that means way more if you actually sit and think about it for a minute or two and let it sink in.
So what happens when Sydney and her family go to the movies on Christmas Eve?
They are asked to leave.
Because Sydney is unable to wear a mask.
Yes, that's the actual story, and it's super sad.
This is obviously discrimination, and North Carolina's mask mandate DOES have exemptions for people with disabilities. But when Sydney's mom explained her daughter's condition to the AMC theater staff they still declined her service.
You may have guessed Sydney's family wasn't just going to walk out without a fight.
Well they didn't.
THEY WERE EVENTUALLY ESCORTED OUT OF THE THEATER BY POLICE.
Because their daughter, WHO IS DISABLED, literally WILL NOT wear a mask.
And the officer actually said it was the theater's right as a business to kick her out.
It's not.
Some good news here: there was a small protest at the theater Sunday night, and it seems like this story is picking up on the internet.
AMC obviously looks really bad here and will likely have an apology ready shortly. But I don't think that's really going to cut it for Sydney and her family. Sydney's mom had this to say:
"I don't consider this a loss today, that we didn't get to see the movie, I think it's just the beginning, and we will support her through whatever we have to do."
I really hope this isn't "just the beginning." People everywhere are freaking out over Covid, and its impact on our everyday lives is MUCH WORSE than its impact on our physical health. We kinda just need to get it together here and start living our lives a little more normally. That way we won't have really stupid things happening like people with disabilities getting kicked out of movie theaters for not wearing masks.
