Rebel Wilson’s Putin gag at the Baftas wasn’t funny – it was offensive

We should never reduce sign language to a quirky little language we can use to insult people, or misinform people about what signing is all about

Bafta host Rebel Wilson certainly lived up to her name during Sunday’s awards ceremony, where ahead of a performance by Emilia Jones from the Deaf film CODA, she became the latest hearing person to make an unnecessary joke involving sign language and swearing.

“In this performance, there are two different interpreters,” Wilson explained, “one is signing ASL, which is American Sign Language, and one is signing BSL, which is British Sign Language.”

She continued: “Luckily, though, in all sign languages, this is the gesture for Putin,” before brandishing a middle finger.

Of course, there are a few choice words I can think of to describe the Russian president – mostly colourful ones. We can and must absolutely condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an act which has had a devastating impact on the Ukrainian people, including its Deaf community. But we can also do that without reducing sign language to a quirky little thing we can use to insult people, and without misinforming people about what signing is all about.

No, the middle finger is not the sign for Putin, and we’d much rather you learn something useful to aid communication with Deaf people. I’m thinking conversation starters like “hello” or “how are you” or “nice to meet you”.

I say this as a Deaf person who has had many a conversation with hearing people about British Sign Language in the past, and still encounter the occasional enthusiastic individual who is more interested in learning how to sign “f*** off” to their mate.

Others have proudly told me they know the sign for “bulls***”, which does little to break down the communication barriers faced by Deaf people on a regular basis. My access is not your punchline.

Ironically, the fact that hearing people would rather learn how to swear at my community – or anyone else – before learning how to sign “hello, how are you” speaks volumes.

Some may read this and bemoan my supposed lack of a sense of humour, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the people giggling at Wilson’s Putin joke are the same people who would welcome sign language being taught in school, or who shed a tear at the elegance of Rose Ayling-Ellis on Strictly Come Dancing. If only there was a Bafta for performative allyship.

How embarrassing that Wilson would choose to make the joke just before a performance by the star of CODA, a film which – for all its flaws – emphasises that there is a culture, a community and an identity behind the language. Jokes from comedians about swearing in sign language trivialise that, and such a marginalised community does not always have the opportunity to answer back because of the communication barriers in place, and a lack of representation.

When you put it like this, it doesn’t sound particularly funny, does it? It sounds abusive – and damaging.

The timing of Wilson’s supposed “gag” is even more unfortunate, as it comes a day before the start of Sign Language Week in the UK. This year’s theme, set by the British Deaf Association, is BSL Brings Us Together, but jokes about swearing in sign language only pull us apart.

It pulls Deaf people away from meaningful, important activism, forcing us to root out harmful misconceptions or inaccuracies about our community and our language, before they spread further amongst the hearing population. Sign language is a visual, unwritten language which isn’t prescriptive; it only takes one fake sign to spread around a community for its integrity to be diminished.

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It’s already an oppressed language as a result of centuries of oralism (the pursuit of speech over sign), and comments like the one from Rebel Wilson aren’t helping. These “jokes” only serve to centre hearing people in stories about our identity, and it wasn’t the only example of it at the Baftas.

Deaf actor Troy Kotsur, also of CODA fame, made history when he took home the gong for best supporting actor, but his acceptance speech was (initially) shared to social media without captions, putting hearing people first. Even the two interpreters on stage with co-star Emilia Jones – the ones Wilson alluded to in her “joke” – weren’t visible throughout the entirety of her televised performance on BBC One, only appearing in shot from time to time.

CODA’s success at the Baftas is huge, and long-overdue, but all of this demonstrates just how far the industry has to go to truly and meaningfully stand alongside the Deaf community – without using us for social media clicks or cheap gags.