The Netflix documentary “Tell Them You Love Me” examines the controversial and disturbing case of Anna Stubblefield, a white Rutgers University professor, who engaged in a sexual relationship with Derrick Johnson, her non-verbal Black student with cerebral palsy.
Derrick’s family, including his brother Dr. John Johnson and mother Daisy, had introduced Derrick to Stubblefield’s work on facilitated communication (FC) – a discredited technique where a “facilitator” guides a disabled person’s hand to type.
Stubblefield used FC to claim Derrick consented to their sexual relationship, even though experts concluded he had the mental capacity of a young child and could not meaningfully communicate.
Despite Derrick’s family’s objections, Stubblefield pursued a sexual relationship with him, leaving her own husband and children. She was eventually convicted of first-degree aggravated sexual assault in 2015, though the conviction was later overturned.
The documentary explores the complex issues of consent, disability, race, and power dynamics that shaped this disturbing case. It reveals how Stubblefield’s white privilege and “white savior complex” allowed her to abuse Derrick, while society struggled to see her as a perpetrator of sexual violence.
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