Popular culture references to dwarf tossing

References to dwarf-tossing feature in the films of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings" title="The Lord of the Rings - The Lord of the Rings , at the broken bridge in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mines_of_Moria" title="Mines of Moria - Mines of Moria , where http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_%28Middle-earth%29" title="Gimli Middle-earth - Gimli tells http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legolas" title="Legolas - Legolas "No one tosses a dwarf," and again at the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Helm%27s_Deep" title="Battle of Helm's Deep - Battle of Helm's Deep .

Challenges to the legality of dwarf tossing

Dwarf-tossing is widely considered to be offensive to the dignity of dwarfs; as a consequence, in various locales, authorities and legislators have considered banning it.

United States

In http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989" title="1989 - 1989 , Robert and Angela Van Ettan of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida" title="Florida - Florida , USA, members of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubbock%2C_Texas" title="Lubbock, Texas - Lubbock , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas" title="Texas - Texas -based http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_People_of_America" title="Little People of America - Little People of America , convinced Florida's legislators that dwarf-tossing should be illegal. The measure banning dwarf-tossing was passed with a wide margin, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York" title="New York - New York also later banned dwarf-tossing.

A lawsuit filed in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._District_Court" title="U.S. District Court - U.S. District Court by Dave Flood, who appears on a morning radio talk show as "Dave the Dwarf," names http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor" title="Governor - Governor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeb_Bush" title="Jeb Bush - Jeb Bush and the head of the state agency which enforces the 1989 law which allows the state to revoke the http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Liquor_licence&action=edit" class="new" title="Liquor licence - liquor licence or fine a bar that allows dwarf-tossing, an activity that was popular in some Florida bars in the late 1980s.

France

In http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" title="France - France , the mayor of a small town ( http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Morsang-sur-Orge&action=edit" class="new" title="Morsang-sur-Orge - Morsang-sur-Orge ) prohibited the practice of dwarf tossing. The case went all the appeal chain of administrative courts up to the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conseil_d%27%C9tat" title="Conseil d'État - Conseil d'État , which found that an administrative authority could legally prohibit dwarf tossing on grounds that this activity did not respect human http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignity" title="Dignity - dignity and was thus contrary to public order. The question raised deep legal questions as to what was admissible as a motive for an administrative authority to ban an activity for motives of public order, especially since the Council does not want to include "public morality" into public order; the ruling was taken by the full assembly and not by a smaller panel, a proof of the difficulty of the question. The http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Commission_on_Human_Rights" title="United Nations Commission on Human Rights - UN High Commissioner on Human Rights judged on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_27" title="September 27 - September 27 , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002" title="2002 - 2002 , that this decision was not http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination" title="Discrimination - discriminatory with respect to dwarfs, ruling that the ban on dwarf-tossing was not abusive but necessary in order to protect public order, including considerations of human dignity.

Canada

In Ontario, Canada, the http://www.ontla.on.ca/documents/Bills/37_Parliament/Session4/b097_e.htm" class="external" title="http://www.ontla.on.ca/documents/Bills/37 Parliament/Session4/b097 e.htm - Dwarf Tossing Ban Act, 2003  ( http://www.ontla.on.ca/documents/Bills/37_Parliament/Session 4/b097_e.htm) (Bill 97 2003) was enacted, with penalties of a fine of not more than $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than six months, or to both.

1986 World Dwarf-throwing Championships

In http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986" title="1986 - 1986 , the World Dwarf-throwing Championships were held in Australia. The USA were not even represented which may weaken the claim that the sport originated in the United States. The undisputed world champions who still currently hold the record were Team GB from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London" title="London - London , England Danny Blue, Roy Merrin and Lenny The Giant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dwarf-team-oz.jpg" class="internal" title="THE AUSTRALIANS David Berry, "Wee" Robbie">

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dwarf-team-oz.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge">

THE AUSTRALIANS David Berry, "Wee" Robbie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dwarf-team-gb.jpg" class="internal" title="THE ENGLISH Roy "Cuddles" Merrin, Lenny The Giant">

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dwarf-team-gb.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge">

THE ENGLISH Roy "Cuddles" Merrin, Lenny The Giant

External links

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A711370" class="external" title="http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A711370 - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:  (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A711370) dwarf-tossing
• http://www.balloondancer.co.uk/comicdb/dwarf.html" class="external" title="http://www.balloondancer.co.uk/comicdb/dwarf.html - UK Dwarf Throwing Champions  (http://www.balloondancer.co.uk/comicdb/dwarf.html)