You are not a freak show

It's spooky season, and Halloween is just around the corner. Kids are picking out thier costumes, and parents are decorating the yard with spiders and scarecrows. Meanwhile, some of us already look like we're wearing a costume. As I walked through a haunted house last weekend where a mannequin was having his leg ripped off by a robotic shark, it reminded me that not everyone who is missing a limb or suffers from a physical disability is a fan of Halloween.

Let me set the scene. You are an amputee looking forward to an evening full of candy-coated debauchery with your friends. You searched every store to find the perfect Princess Peach dress to go with your boyfriend's Super Mario jumpsuit. You are dressed and ready with your crown perched at the top of your head and your Italian plumber in tow. As you arrive at the party, you get a few stares from strangers. No biggie, you are used to this. But then some drunk kids yell out "Now that's freaky, check out that princess who had her leg cut off. Hey, where did you hide your leg for that costume?? it looks so real" Suddenly, you want to show them where you can put your metal leg. Understandably, not everyone is comfortable making light of their limb loss. After all, the circus was once full of people like us, on display, as part of a freak show. There was money made at our expense. People came to gawk and stare for years.

On the flip side, some amputees see Halloween as their time to shine and incorporate a missing limb into some pretty epic costumes that the average able-bodied person just isn't built for. Think IHOP waitress, half-eaten gingerbread man, or the leg lamp from "A Christmas Story". I won't tell you this is the approach you should take because it's a personal decision and one that can require a lot of time and therapy to reach. However, I will tell you that YOU ARE NOT A FREAK and your participation in any kind of dress-up holiday does not make it a freak show. You and I are different. Not scary, not freaky, and not deserving of discrimination or judgment. You must know this because there will always be some drunk college kid or some ignorant person who doesn't get it. They are the real freaks. So feel free to celebrate Halloween and any other events to your heart's content. Remember, there are limbitless opportunities for you to enjoy yourself without worrying about other people's opinions, take them when you can.