Spain bans dwarf bullfighting to end perceived exploitation against dwarf bullfighters, dwarf bullfighters object
· Apr 30, 2023 · NottheBee.com

Dwarf bullfighting is a long-standing tradition in Spain and other hispanic cultures.

The dwarves fight smaller bulls and calves, but never hurt the animals, unlike the full-size matadors who kill the bulls.

However, some enlightened folks thought the spectacle of dwarves entertaining crowds by mocking matadors looked too much like the exploitation of people with disabilities.

So Spain's parliament voted to conform to their enlightened demands and outlaw dwarf bullfighting in the nation.

"We have overcome the Spain of the past," said Jesús Martín, the Director General of Spain's Royal Board on Disabilities, which advises the Social Rights Ministry.

"People with dwarfism were subjected to mockery in public squares in our country, passing down the idea that it is okay to laugh at difference to so many girls and boys who go with adults to see these shameful performances."

Not everyone was happy about the move; most notably the dwarves who made their living entertaining crowds in the arena.

A small group protested outside parliament while the vote was being taken.

"They take it for granted that people are being denigrated or laughed at, and it's the opposite: the respect they have for us is impressive," Daniel Calderón, a dwarf bullfighter, told the EFE news agency.

I‘d like to add that just because dwarfism diminishes stature, it doesn't affect the mind.

These are mature adults trying to make a living.

If for example, their mental faculties were diminished, then someone dressed them in drag and made them perform in front of audiences, that would be exploiting the disabled.

People with dwarfism should have all the rights of anyone else, including making the informed decision to entertain crowds comedically at a bull fight.

This new Spanish law is just discrimination, plain and simple.


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