I want to talk about the ableism around labelling John Davidson a racist because of his Tourette’s.

A person with Tourette’s cannot control their tics. They cannot control what they shout. Tourette’s is a neurological disability, not a moral failing.

John Davidson already lives with the mocking, stigma, and social consequences of a condition that affects his impulse inhibition.

He should not be expected to remove himself from public life because his disability is inconvenient or uncomfortable for others.

Instead, access needs to be improved for people with Tourette’s via greater understanding of it.

The BBC had the ability to edit the iPlayer broadcast. That decision not to matters deeply.

I know there is a very real and frightening rise in racist abuse and hate speech directed at Black people. That reality deserves seriousness and protection, and I'm not diminishing that impact here in any way.

But the intersection between racism and disability is not served by mislabelling a man with Tourette’s as racist for something he is neurologically unable to control.

And yes, I say this as a white woman, which I know automatically complicates how my words will be received.

I also say this as a disabled person with a long term understanding of the nuance of ableism and how it stays hidden to very many people not affected by it.

Tourette’s involves a failure of inhibitory control.

Under stress, the brain often reaches for the most taboo and highly charged language because those words carry the strongest neurological “signal” and are easiest to access.

What happened at the Baftas does not demonstrate racism.

It suggests that John Davidson was experiencing high levels of stress, based on how taboo the word he used is.

It demonstrates stress expressed through disability.

I can only imagine how devastated John Davidson feels right now.

The BBC should have served his disability needs so much better by editing the Baftas replay on I-player and by speaking directly to those at the Baftas impacted by his tic.