Petition Seeks To Stop 'Dwarf Toss' At Detroit, Windsor Topless Clubs
DETROIT (WWJ) - A pair of local adult entertainment clubs is stirring up a big controversy involving little people.
As if the neon lights, pumping music and glitter-covered women weren't enough, a topless club on Detroit's west side is hoping to draw customers with another feast for the eyes: A dwarf toss.
The Toy Chest Bar and Grill on Ford Road near the Southfield Freeway, which promises to offer "sizzling" adult entertainment, is hosting the controversial event on Friday night. A similar affair is taking place across the border this weekend at the Leopard Lounge in Windsor.
During the Dwarf Toss, contestants line up to throw a little person against a soft, Velcro wall. The winner, presumably, gets some sort of prize or honor.
Organizers say there's nothing wrong with the event, and the performer is a celebrity in his own right. The bar owner says the man is paid well to do what he does and no one is forcing his hand.
Nonetheless, a petition started by Little People Of America is hoping to put an end to these and other similar events. As of Friday morning, more than 3,300 people have signed the "Stop Dwarf Tossing Events" petition.
"Dwarf tossing is a disgusting spectacle that subjects people with dwarfism to ridicule and physical harm. The individual who is tossed is like a shot put or a javelin thrown in a track and field event, or a bowling ball rolled down a lane," the petition reads. "While dwarf tossing is an extreme risk to the individual, it also objectifies the entire dwarf community. Dwarf tossing treats people of short stature as a piece of equipment and encourages the general attitude that people with dwarfism are objects."
A protest is also expected to take place outside of the club when the event is scheduled to happen.
"No little person, or their friends, family and peers should ever be subjected to the barbarity of a dwarf tossing event, and no little person should ever again be put at risk because of dwarf tossing," Little People Of America said in a statement.
Similar dwarf tossing events have been banned in New York and Florida.
