Statement in response to Senator’s offensive use of the R-word slur in floor debate
CONTACT: Stacy Dym, media@arcwa.org, Executive Director of The Arc of Washington State
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The following statement is from Stacy Dym, Executive Director of The Arc of Washington State, the state’s oldest grassroots organization advocating for the rights and inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families for over 90 years, in response to the use of a slur for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on the floor of the Washington State Senate.
“It is appalling that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities must witness the use of such dehumanizing language by their elected official, especially as the legislature is already considering sweeping $30 million cuts to disability services and eliminating coverage of essential physical and occupational therapies for all Medicaid recipients. The Senator’s comments are unacceptable in all contexts, and they unfortunately contribute to the further erosion of the humanity of people with developmental disabilities who deserve to live and work as valued members of their communities.
Although the R-word was introduced as a neutral medical term for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities over sixty years ago, it quickly became a cruel insult that carried the painful weight of discrimination, harassment, stigma, and prejudice. Language matters, especially from our leaders, and this word is no longer acceptable to use outside of historical documents.
If the legislature truly wants to prioritize the humanity of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, they should pay close attention to what’s in their budgets and their current proposal to effectively shut the front door on disability services in Washington state.”
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The details of the devastating $30 million cut being proposed for disability services can be found here in a recent press release from The Arc of Washington State.
You can take action HERE to write to your legislators now and urge them to stop these proposed cuts to essential disability services.
The details of the proposed elimination of coverage for physical and occupational therapies for adult Medicaid recipients can be found here in a recent joint press release.
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Recent newspaper coverage of the Senator’s use of the slur and his subsequent refusal to apologize can be found here:
WA GOP senator uses slur on Senate floor, doubles down – March 6, 2026, The Seattle Times, by Sophia Sostrin
Spokane Valley Sen. Leonard Christian draws rebuke over ‘inflaming’ remarks in floor speech, March 5, 2026, The Spokesman-Review, by Mitchell Roland
WA senator refuses to apologize for inflammatory remark, March 5, 2026, Washington State Standard, by Jake Goldstein-Street
