Love on the Spectrum star Dani Bowman has condemned the casual use of the r-word on screen after the ableist slur was used in Euphoria.
Sydney Sweeney’s character Cassie proclaims she’s “not a r*****” in an episode of Sam Levinson’s HBO drama after she’s accused of sounding like a Democrat.
Bowman, who is on the autism spectrum, said it’s “painful” to see the word become “socially acceptable” again, adding that the “dehumanising” term “should be banned”.
“We worked way too hard for inclusion and acceptance to normalise the R word again,” the 31-year-old campaigner, told TMZ.
“That word has been used for decades to bully, humiliate and dehumanise neurodiverse people, and bringing it back like it’s edgy or funny, it’s not progress. It’s a step backwards.”
Bowman said campaigners like her had “spent years trying to educate people that these words hurt real human beings”.
“Representation means nothing if respect disappears the second people think it’s trendy to mock disability again,” the star added.
The Independent has contacted Sweeney and Levinson’s representatives for comment.
Bowman also addressed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s use of the word during jokes made about NBA player Draymond Green at Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart.
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“I respect Dwayne Johnson and everything he’s accomplished, but using the r-word, even in a joke or skit, is disappointing,” she said.
“Words like that have a real impact because they’ve been used for years to mock and tear down people with disabilities and neurodiverse individuals…Comedy can still be funny without targeting a community that’s fought hard to be accepted.”
Bowman added that she feels “totally disrespected” by the use of the slur on mainstream television and streaming platforms. “This word should be banned,” she said.
The star’s remarks are the latest in a long string of controversies to sully the release of Euphoria’s third and final season.
OnlyFans models have hit out at various inaccuracies they say have appeared in Sweeney’s depiction of what it’s like to work on the platform.
Meanwhile, The Guardian’s Louis Staples claimed that the show’s misogyny “feels like the manosphere’s wet dream”.
Nevertheless, The Independent’s Nick Hilton praised the series in his four star review, dubbing the programme “a vapid show about vapidity, a materialist show about materialism: Euphoria owns its contradictions, and, in this final season, shows it’s mastered them.”
