Noah's Dad

To Jim Nelson, Editor-In-Chief

I am writing you concerning a comment that appeared in your recent online article “The Worst Dressed Cities In America.” In the blurb regarding city number 40, Boston, I was extremely disappointed and hurt by this very insensitive, and ignorant statement:

“[Boston] is a bad-taste storm sewer…[Boston] suffers from a kind of Style Down Syndrome, where a little extra ends up ruining everything.”

As a parent of a child born with Down syndrome I will assure that your assumption that a person living with Down syndrome is “ruined,” is wrong, hurtful, insensitive, and ignorant.

People born with Down syndrome have three copies of their 21st chromosomes; compared to the two copies that someone without Down syndrome has.

So technically people with Down syndrome do have a little something “extra” if compared to someone born without Down syndrome.

So the “extra” part of your statement is true.

However, your article goes on to imply that that little something extra “ruins everything.”

I would like to know what you mean by that statement. Was your article implying that all people with Down syndrome are “ruined?” If so, can you please define “ruined” for me?

I have no problem if you want to attack a city for the way their citizens dress. Go for it. But I refuse to remain silent when you cross the line and make hurtful and dehumanizing comparisons about individuals living with Down syndrome.

It is clear that some of your writing staff does not have a clear understanding of Down syndrome. I would suggest they spend some time learning about Down syndrome so that they might have a clear and educated view.

I would like to suggest a few resources to help equip your staff to become educated on the facts of Down syndrome:

1. What Is Down Syndrome – My wife is a Medical Doctor and has put together this quick and easy read for anyone to be able to understand the facts about Down syndrome.
2. National Down Syndrome Society – This website has a lot of great information that will help you and your staff understand more about Down syndrome. In addition, the NDSS had a fantastic campaign going on right now called My Great Story where you can read many great stories about individuals with Down syndrome. (I think after reading some of these stories you’ll quickly see they aren’t ruined at all, in fact their life is very full! Complete with fun, and laughs.)
3. National Down Syndrome Congress – This is another very informative website. THe NDSC actually puts on an annual conference with various speakers, and workshops that I would highly suggest you and your staff attend. I think you will find it very informative and useful in your understanding of Down syndrome.
4. National Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk – This is a yearly event that takes place all across the globe that celebrates all of the many achievements of the over 340,000 people living with Down syndrome. I took the the time to look on the Buddy Walk  website for you, and I found out that that there are eight Buddy Walks left in New York (where you headquarters are located) this year. I would high encourage you to get involved with one so that you can meet many some great people living with Down syndrome. I think after spending some time with some people who have Down syndrome, you’ll agree with me that they are full of life, and much more like you and I, then different. And certainly, as you suggested, “ruined.”
5. Noah’s Minute – In addition to the above resources we post a daily one minute video of our son who was born with Down syndrome. The idea behind this is that we wanted to give the world a window into what it is like raising a child with Down syndrome. We know there is a lot of misinformation out there, and want people to see that our life is much more “normal” then un-normal. I think after watching a few of the videos you’ll quickly agree with me that people with Down syndrome are not “ruined” at all, rather they are fully human, created by, and in the very image of God, and deserve the exact same dignity and respect as every other person on the planet.

I see that you have you edited your online article and have removed the statement about Down syndrome. However in the age of the internet simply deleting something does not delete it out of the minds of those who are aware of it.

We live in a day and age where much is being done to increase awareness about Down syndrome, and ultimately put in end to inaccurate, hurtful, and ignorant statements like the one in your article.

When media outlets such as yours continue to publish ignorant and uneducated comments about people with Down syndrome it reverses the work that so many of us are trying to do.

It is very important that we educate the public with correct information, not make hurtful jokes and comparisons at the expense of the over 340,000 people living with Down syndrome.

I demand an apology for the hurtful, inaccurate, insensitive, and ignorant statement made in this article. Not only to the entire Down syndrome population, but to the parents, families, and friends of those living with Down syndrome as well.

I hope you will take this letter seriously, and work towards providing Down syndrome awareness training to your staff. By providing this training your writers will have access to true and accurate information concerning Down syndrome, which will allow GQ magazine to be certain that they only publish true and accurate information concerning Down syndrome.

In doing so you will ultimately be helping the cause (instead of hurting it) to see that every human being on this planet is treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.

(By the way, I have inserted a picture of our son Noah at the top and bottom of this post. Pretty cute kid, huh? But he isn’t just cute, he is also as fully a person as you are I, knitted together in his mother’s womb.  I hope that this letter, and the resources contained within, will help your staff to think and speak about all people with Down syndrome as you would your own mother from this point forward.)

Sincerely,

Noah’s Dad