Gatekeeping King Weckingball recently posted a clip of himself skating with a cane and it did not sit right with the blind skate community and their supporters.
People started calling him out as soon as the video appeared online.
Weck explained that his back has been hurting and he was using the cane to help him keep skating while dealing with the pain.
He said he was not trying to make fun of blind skaters. He added that if he wanted to spoof someone he would have thrown on sunglasses and done fake tricks.
He also said that he had not realized there was a smaller community of blind skateboarders until now.
After posting the clip many of them and their allies started tagging him and leaving comments expressing their frustration.
Weck stressed that the cane is just a tool he uses to support his back.
He got hurt from working hard and skating is one of the few ways he can stay active while recovering.
Some of the responses he received went overboard. People sent messages hoping harm would come to him and he called that completely insane.
He said that the situation shows how harsh online spaces can be and how quickly people can turn on someone over something that was not meant to offend.
Even with the criticism some members of the skate community defended him. They pointed out that injuries happen and skaters find different ways to keep moving.
The controversy has not died down but for now Weck is standing by his explanation. He wants people to understand that he was using the cane out of necessity and not to disrespect anyone.