Think of the children!

Cerrie Burnell is a kids TV presenter currently working for the BBC's CBeebies channel. I say currently, because even though she seems like a perfectly nice person, some parents want her removed from their screens. Their reason? Her right arm ends in a stump just below her elbow.

According to a report on the Digital Spy media web site, parents are voicing their objections on the CBeebies message board. "Is it just me, or does anyone else think the new woman presenter on CBeebies may scare the kids because of her disability?" wrote one. Other comments are in the same vein. Can you imagine being Burnell herself and knowing what some parents think of her? It must be heartbreaking.

The kids these people claim to be protecting have clearly dealt with Burnell's disability - as has the rest of society. Perhaps some are actually fascinated by her arm. They're definitely more aware that we're all different in lots of ways, not just skin colour. Are they freaked out? I think not. The proof? Not one poster is claiming that their kid is actually upset about Burnell's presence on-screen. I think these posters are expressing their own aesthetic disgust, and justifying it as a child protection issue. That's far uglier than any physical disability.

In a modern, inclusive society where every reasonable person has a chance to shine, there's no place for this kind of meaningless aesthetic bigotry. People have disabilities. It's part of the human condition. Arms, legs, eyes, and many other body parts don't always look perfect. We're all freaks of nature and circumstance. Especially bigots.