Deaf News Briefs: WFD’s UAE Controversy; Millicent Simmonds on Broadway
Here are two Deaf News briefs.
Controversy over UAE being host of 2027 WFD World Congress
The first is that there is controversy after the World Federation of the Deaf’s General Assembly in South Korea voted to award the United Arab Emirates (UAE) the right to host the next World Congress in 2027 after the UAE said it would not allow speakers to discuss LGBTQ+ topics in UAE.
According to a tweet by Dr. Robert Adam, there were three countries running for the 2027 host: Norway, Nigeria, and UAE. Dr. Adam said UAE did make a “clarification that LGBT+ topics would not be allowed at the Congress” and then won the right to host the next World Congress.
The Irish Deaf Society (IDS) posted a video statement saying they are deeply concerned that UAE was picked to host the 2027 Congress. The IDS said they do not accept this and will be writing to WFD because IDS “are for ALL human rights.”
There is a YouTube video that shows a clip from the livestream of the General Assembly. It appears to show a representative from the UAE explaining that UAE will respect an LGBT+ person but that they can’t give a speech about LGBT+ rights.
There is an online petition that calls on the WFD Board to take action to change the 2027 host to “ensure a WFD Congress and WFDYS Camp in a country where everyone is welcome to attend, be themselves and speak out their human rights issues.” It has over 2,725 signatures.
The links to the tweets and the YouTube video are in the transcript.
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Millicent Simmonds on Broadway in “Grey House”
The second Deaf News Brief is about the deaf actress Millicent Simmonds, who is best known for her roles in the “A Quiet Place” films.
She is now 20 years old and making her Broadway debut in a production called “Grey House” at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City. An article on WWD.com said the genre is horror and that the story is about a married couple who becomes stranded after their car breaks down in a remote wooded area. The couple finds a cabin that is inhabited by a strange woman and her daughters.
Simmonds’ role is of Bernie, one of the sisters at the cabin. She is the only deaf character in the story.
WWD said “Grey House” is set to run through early September. Ticket prices range from around $40 up to $268. I’ve included the link to the broadway show for more information.
That’s the two Deaf News briefs for today.
WFD:
https://twitter.com/rejadam/status/1678288004207738880
https://twitter.com/IrishDeafSoc/status/1678779993407762434
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PFt3ByDamA
“Grey House”:
https://wwd.com/eye/people/millicent-simmonds-grey-house-broadway-play-1235728416/