CONTACT:
Gwen Pepin
[email protected]
Chicago, IL – Life comes at you fast. One moment you’re cruelly mocking an emotional and proud 17-year-old, and the next, you’re facing consequences–removed from a disability support organization’s board and pushed to resign as a coach at your local high school. In response to Amy Jacobson and Dan Proft’s reprehensible remarks about Gus Walz, the teenage son of Tim and Gwen Walz, who joyfully celebrated his father at the recent Democratic National Convention and who, like millions of Americans, lives with a non-verbal learning disorder, anxiety, and ADHD, the Democratic Party of Illinois issued the following statement:
“Let’s call this behavior what it is: utterly disrespectful. Their so-called ‘apology’—that they wouldn’t have mocked Gus had they known about his disabilities—only underscores their obscene belief that teenagers are fair game for political attacks and ridicule. We should be able to expect more from a former high school volleyball coach and a former board member of a disability support organization. Yet, the far-right continues to lower the bar for basic human decency.”
