As we get closer to the Yuba-Sutter fair, there has been some controversy over one of the events. MicroMania Wrestling Tour, a professional wrestling team featuring little people, will be a grandstand event.
It's the first time the wrestling tour is coming to the Yuba-Sutter area, but one local family is speaking up because they don't want it to return.
"We just never thought it would come to our community. I never thought it would come this local," said Austin and Janae Oller, with Little People of America's San Joaquin chapter.
The wrestling tour's promotional materials, also shown by the fair, contained offensive language to some.
"Using the word midget so openly is hurtful and it is educating others to think it is OK to use," said Janae Oller, the LPA chapter president. "I understand these little people are OK. They're getting paid to wrestle. They're getting paid to be called this word. However, I'm not getting paid to be called this word every single day of my life."
"The word comes from the freak show era, so calling someone a midget is being a spectacle," said Austin Oller, the LPA chapter's vice president.
The Ollers and other community members took their concerns to the Yuba-Sutter Fair Board, which agreed to remove the word from all materials.
"I knew they were in contract. The fair is weeks away, and they can't get out of this contract. But let's not advertise with this word, and they were like, 'I'm very sorry, I had no idea this word was derogatory,' " said Janae Oller.
The Yuba-Sutter Fair said in a statement to CBS13:
"Fair staff acknowledged that there was a lack of awareness regarding the offensive nature of certain terminology used in the event's original branding- specifically the use of the "m" word, which is widely recognized as derogatory. Once this concern was brought to our attention, fair staff promptly contacted the event promoter and received full permission to edit the promotional materials and remove the term."
Now, the Ollers are trying to raise awareness in the community, as there are roughly 10 little people living in the area, some of them young children.
"The word will never be eradicated, but let's educate others so they know, 'Hey, maybe I shouldn't use that word.' We have multiple children 8 and under in our local schools, and since this is a family event, families are going to be there, children they go to school with and they're already experiencing bullying," said Janae Oller.
The fair offered their Little People of America chapter an educational booth at the main exhibit, but after deliberation, the offer was declined due to safety concerns after seeing hurtful comments on social media.
"I don't think of myself as a dwarf when I wake up. When I walk out of my door and I go to the grocery store or Target or take my kid to school, that's when I realize I'm different. It's because people point, people laugh, people stare, and that's when I know there's something different with me," said Austin Oller.
The fair says it was never their intention to harm, offend, or alienate any children or adults in the region. The event will be taking place on Friday, June 20. It's unclear if the event will be returning after this year.
We reached out to the wrestling tour but did not hear back.
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