Rosie Jones and a friend were subjected to a vile “ableist and homophobic” attack while travelling on a train.
On Sunday evening (5 October), the British comedian, writer, and actress revealed that she and her friend, fellow comedian Lee Peart, were targeted while travelling home from a gig.
In footage taken during the incident, Jones — who has ataxic cerebral palsy and is openly lesbian — said the “ableist and homophobic arseholes” hurled slurs their way, mocked their voices, and “threw wine at Lee.”
On Instagram, Jones elaborated on the incident, although she had originally planned to celebrate Happy World Cerebral Palsy Day “to all CPers and all who celebrate our day with us.”
“It was a stark reminder that my CP makes me stand out, and is often used as a weapon against me. Unfortunately, the worms of this world use my disability to try and make me feel like a victim. I am not,” Rosie explained.
“People with cerebral palsy should never be made to feel like guests in an unwelcoming and hostile world which wasn’t set up for people like us. We have just as much of a right to be here as anybody else. AND DON’T FORGET IT.”
Rather than letting her Cerebral Palsy Day post focus only on negativity, Jones celebrated a positive outcome: her foundation, “with the help of the massive Irish challenge completed by my favourite boys @mud.cutters,” donated £18,000 to Disability Plus.
“This money will CLEAR their waiting list of people with CP in need of counselling sessions,” she wrote, “providing them all with counsellors with CP.”
View this post on Instagram
Rosie added: “Let me end on the positives, while you scroll through my carousel of CP joy. I am PROUD to have cerebral palsy, and setting up The Rosie Jones Foundation is my greatest achievement to date (apart from getting to level 10716 on Candy Crush).
“Our mission is to empower lives and change minds so that no person living with cerebral palsy ever feels alone or unheard. Together we are mighty. I love my CP Family.”
The incident has been reported to the British Transport Police.
They confirmed in a statement to The Independent that “officers were called to East Croydon railway station at around 10.30pm on Sunday following reports of a group of people abusing and assaulting passengers on a train from Brighton to Victoria”.
Jones is one of the UK’s most visible queer comedians. She has written children’s books, performed stand-up, hosted a cooking and travel series for Channel 4, fronted a game show for Comedy Central and appeared in television programmes including Casualty, Call the Midwife and Question Time.
Notably, she explored her identity as a woman with a visible disability in the BAFTA-nominated documentary Rosie Jones: Am I a R*tard?
Visit The Rosie Jones Foundation for more information and to find out how you can support their work.
Latest
