Autistic woman removed from cinema for laughing too loudly

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Sandpiper
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30 Apr 2018, 11:07 am

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The British Film Institute has apologised after staff forcibly removed a woman with Asperger syndrome from the cinema in what onlookers described as a “disgusting” sign of “naked intolerance”.

Tamsin Parker, 25, an artist and animator, was watching a screening at the BFI’s cinema on London’s South Bank of her favourite film – the spaghetti western , directed by Sergio Leone – with two friends. She was asked to leave for laughing too loudly.

Parker’s mother, Lydia Parker, said some members of the audience applauded as she was removed: “[My daughter] said ‘I am autistic’ and a man said: ‘You’re ret*d.’ Another man, who called her a b***h [for laughing], was thrown out, but only after she was.”

Her mother added: “She was completely humiliated and it ruined her birthday.”

The BFI released a statement saying it was sorry and had got it wrong in a “challenging and complex situation”.

“We are taking this situation extremely seriously and this morning we have been investigating further ... We can and must do better in accommodating all the needs of our customers and we will be addressing what additional provisions and staff training we can put in place,” the institute said.

Parker’s mother, who is speaking to a lawyer about what happened, said: “It would be nice to arrange a screening for Tamsin and her friends. The manager did not seem very apologetic at the time.”

Parker was eager to see the BFI screening and has watched the film eight times, according to her mother, who went to collect her daughter after she was thrown out. “She was in floods of tears ... she was really scared,” her mother said.

Lydia Parker, a theatre director, said it had been heartening to see messages of support on Twitter. The story has been shared widely on social media, with people voicing concern.

One cinemagoer, Lloyd Shepherd, expressed his disgust after the incident. “She’d been laughing very loudly, but at moments which were supposed to be funny. Some people complained. She was dragged out shouting: ‘I’m sorry, I have Asperger’s.’ She was incredibly upset,” he said.

He said some people applauded her removal while others were upset, with a large number leaving.

“I am shaking with anger. That poor, poor woman. Just a little bit of empathy and everything would have been fine. Such naked intolerance. In the middle of London. Disgusting,” Shepherd said.

Other witnesses tweeted:

Amie-Jo
@amiejolocke
Wtf. Have just witnessed a woman with Aspergers being forcibly removed from a @BFI screening. Why? Because someone complained about her laughing. I feel sick to my stomach #bfi

Suki Bains
@Suk1_B41ns
Replying to @sloumarsh
Thanks for covering this matter. I was there last night. @BFI aside, it's the public reaction that has upset many of us. The lady was treated very poorly. She was sworn at in a very degrading offensive way. No empathy. People clapping. Awful experience. Sad. Angry. #london #2018

Parker’s sister, Sabrina Parker, tweeted that she had taken her sibling home to watch the rest of the movie. “Thank you for sharing this ... we’re horrified that they would treat her so badly,” she wrote. “Obviously she’s still very upset. It’s her favourite movie and it was her 25th birthday celebration.”

The National Autistic Society said many autistic people felt venues were not autism-friendly enough, which is why it runs the to encourage businesses to be more accessible. The charity added that it works with cinemas and theatres to hold autism-friendly screenings.

Jane Harris, the NAS’s director of external affairs, said the incident was shocking and a colleague was at the screening, “along with others who were equally distressed by what they had witnessed”.

“It’s great to hear that so many audience members were sympathetic, but this incident shows just how far we have to go for autistic people to get the understanding they deserve,” she added.

Harris said the NAS would be reaching out to the BFI to discuss ways to improve its staff members’ understanding of autism.


https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/apr/30/woman-with-aspergers-ejected-from-cinema-for-laughing-at-western

Good to see that at least some of the audience were appalled by this.


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League_Girl
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30 Apr 2018, 11:22 am

So if an NT woman was laughing too loud, would she be thrown out too? Or else this isn't even news and this is an example of snowflake syndrome. I am tired of a disability being treated like a charity and pity case and that we should get special treatment and not have rules be applied to us. Sorry, a diagnoses changes nothing for me unless others were actually laughing loud as her.


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Tom94
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30 Apr 2018, 12:39 pm

She was also shouting at others to 'shut up' after being asked to be quiet, I really can't have much sympathy for her. This woman is old enough to know how to moderate her behaviour in public or at least seek therapy to help her with her issues, but it seems like she has been brought up to feel that she is 'special' and that the rules of society don't apply to her because of her disability, I really can't stand people with this mentality, they give the rest of us on the spectrum a bad name



UncannyDanny
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30 Apr 2018, 12:53 pm

Reading this article made me think about this song for those people who mistreated her:



Sandpiper
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30 Apr 2018, 1:04 pm

I don't think she did anything wrong. She obviously has issues with volume control at times but it sounds like she may be a bit lacking in awareness of that when she gets excited about things. Someone called her "ret*d" and someone else told her to "shut up b***h". Pretty disgusting I think under any circumstances.


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AlanMooresBeard
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30 Apr 2018, 2:46 pm

I'm a regular visitor to this particular cinema and I'm also a member of the British Film Institute. I have personally never had any problems at any of the screenings that I have attended over the years but seeing how this woman was treated by staff does make me think twice about renewing my membership. I hope the BFI learns from this experience and trains its staff to give them a better understanding of autism and how to accommodate people with the condition at their screenings.



League_Girl
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30 Apr 2018, 2:48 pm

Sandpiper wrote:
I don't think she did anything wrong. She obviously has issues with volume control at times but it sounds like she may be a bit lacking in awareness of that when she gets excited about things. Someone called her "ret*d" and someone else told her to "shut up b***h". Pretty disgusting I think under any circumstances.


I have troubles with voice volume too but when people tell me I am talking too loud or tell me to lower my voice, I do it.


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30 Apr 2018, 10:36 pm

Sandpiper wrote:
I don't think she did anything wrong. She obviously has issues with volume control at times but it sounds like she may be a bit lacking in awareness of that when she gets excited about things. Someone called her "ret*d" and someone else told her to "shut up b***h". Pretty disgusting I think under any circumstances.


I concur. And to think, it was her birthday!


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TheForgetivePanda326600
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09 May 2018, 10:21 am

It was her birthday. Also NT, ASD whatever, some people generally have issues controlling their volume. It can be either too loud or quiet. I do feel sorry for her but not because she has ASD (we are typically capable of controlling ourselves so it's not an autism related issue, very likely) I more just feel pity because its her birthday and things others said to her were just harsh, I'd feel AWFUL if that were me.



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09 May 2018, 3:21 pm

The staff should not have sworn at her. But I can't blame them for asking her to leave if she was disrupting the whole theatre and making it impossible for others to enjoy the movie. When I go to a movie theatre and pay $18 to nearly $30 for a ticket & opt to spend my time watching a movie I really want to see on the big screen I'm f*****g PISSED if someone is talking throughout it or otherwise distracting others from being able to hear the movie or focus on it. If your disability makes it impossible for you to control yourself in public so that you're not a nuisance to everyone else in a movie theatre, then you shouldn't go to movie theatres. They're for everyone to enjoy, not for you to enjoy while ruining everyone else' evening and wasting their time and money. I don't care whether you're a screaming baby or someone who laughs uncontrollably loud and long, if you can't behave as you're expected to in a movie theatre then you have no business being there. Watch your movie at home with your friends or pay for a private screening so that you can be as disruptive as you want without negatively affecting others' experience so much that people applaud your removal from the room.


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Sandpiper
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09 May 2018, 8:26 pm

goldfish21 wrote:
If your disability makes it impossible for you to control yourself in public so that you're not a nuisance to everyone else in a movie theatre, then you shouldn't go to movie theatres.


What an utterly nasty comment.


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09 May 2018, 8:29 pm

At least she didn't light up a cigar like Robert DeNiro in the theater scene in Cape Fear.


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goldfish21
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09 May 2018, 8:49 pm

Sandpiper wrote:
goldfish21 wrote:
If your disability makes it impossible for you to control yourself in public so that you're not a nuisance to everyone else in a movie theatre, then you shouldn't go to movie theatres.


What an utterly nasty comment.


How so?

Everyone is investing their time and money to enjoy watching a film on the big screen. One person should not have the right to ruin that experience for a thousand others. If you cannot behave as expected in a movie theatre, you have no business being in one. This is also why it’s frowned upon to bring very young children who scream and cry throughout a movie. And I say this as someone who would voluntarily exile himself from movie theatres if I could not prevent myself from being disruptive.


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