Sen. Jamie Pedersen, right, listens as Sen. Mike Padden, left, speaks during a Senate Law and Justice Committee hearing, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash.

1-25-2019

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A State Senator from Spokane Valley wants to ban dwarf-tossing in bars and strip clubs in Washington.

Republican Senator Mike Padden says banning the contests would end “a most-unsporting activity that demeans and exploits those of small stature.”

In the contests people with the condition of dwarfism dress in padded costumes and participants throw them onto mattresses or velcro targets.

Padden, along with co-sponsors Sen. Patty Kuderer (D) and Sen. Barbara Bailey (R), introduced the bill after a constituent contacted him with concerns about a contest advertised at a strip club.

He says the practice is especially dangerous for people with dwarfism because they’re susceptible to spine and neck injuries.