#NotOKcupid! Successful campaign by our member Mencap

Our work brings the voice of people with intellectual disabilities and their families where decisions about their future are made. This has always been incredibly important. It is even more so with the Covid pandemic drastic impact on their rights and lives. Being visible and vocal on issues directly affecting millions of people requires your...

#NotOKcupid! Successful campaign by our member Mencap
Kate Brackley from mencap holding a sign with #NotOkCupid written on it

Kate Brackley supported the #NotOkCupid campaign

“Would the world be a better place if people with low IQs were not allowed to reproduce?”

This was the question the dating platform OkCupid had published on their website, as one of the statements allowing to “match” their users.

Inclusion Europe’s UK member Mencap had already challenged the platform on this discriminatory and insulting question in 2016.

On the occasion of this year’s Valentine’s Day, Mencap relaunched the campaign #NotOkCupid. People with a learning disability, such as Kate Brackley who is pictured above, voiced their anger and frustration about the offensive question:

I want to say to OkCupid that that question should be taken off. I think anyone can have children, even people with a learning disability, with the right support.

Helen Clark, who is married to Darren Clark, said

We’re just like everyone else, Darren and I love each other. People shouldn’t judge us, and we should have choices just like everybody else. Just because we have a learning disability, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have kids or the choice to have a child.

Fortunately, the campaign was successful and OkCupid agreed to remove the question from its website. Inclusion Europe congratulates Mencap on this important win.

Relationships are important or everyone. This is why our next Europe in Action conference will have the motto “Love, Life and friendship” with self-advocates, family members and experts giving their viewpoints. You can find out more about this event on the conference website.

Our work brings the voice of people with intellectual disabilities and their families where decisions about their future are made.

This has always been incredibly important. It is even more so with the Covid pandemic drastic impact on their rights and lives.

Being visible and vocal on issues directly affecting millions of people requires your support. 

Become Inclusion Europe supporter and help us keep doing our work.

 

 

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