DJ slammed for playing offensive song to disabled prom queen
A DJ has faced major backlash online after playing Ed Sheeran’s hit single “thinking out loud” as a handicapped prom queen took to the dance floor in her wheelchair.
The opening line of the song being “when your legs don’t work like they used to before” was played for Sarah – who was in her wheelchair set to dance with the prom king. Things certainly turned awkward as those in the crowd gasped.
Sarah Mendenhall, 23, suffers from a rare neurological condition called Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), which causes muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis, was crowned as prom queen at her school dance when the unfortunate incident took place.
A video posted to TikTok by classmate Celeste Orozco showed the two standing in the center of the dance floor while someone placed crowns on their heads; but when the song came on, many people at the event became uncomfortable.
Numerous onlookers in the crowd showed their discomfort by letting out gasps and yelling at the DJ, whose identity remains unknown.
'This would haunt me the rest of my life if I were the DJ,' Celeste captioned the clip, which has been viewed more than 17 million times.
@celesteiliana__ a prom queen crowning moment to remember #fyp #foryoupage #highschool #promqueen ♬ original sound - Celeste Orozco
However, Sarah wants everyone to know that she wasn't offended by the song choice.
'Hey everyone so this is me,' she wrote in the comment section of the viral clip. 'I found it really funny and ironic.'
She added that she 'didn’t know what was playing until way after' because she was so focused on trying to 'dance.'
Celeste added, 'We had a great prom night and a good laugh about it the next day.'
It appeared that Sarah, who was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in October 2016, had an amazing night despite the mishap, posting a clip of herself spinning around in the wheelchair on the dance floor to her own TikTok account, writing, 'Just making a core memory. Thats all.'
Images: TikTok