Marc Elliot

Marc Elliot is an American author and inspirational speaker who has been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome.[1][2] Once he completed his graduation, Elliot embarked on a nationwide speaking tour outlining his experiences on growing up with Tourette's and advocating tolerance. He has given about 300 inspirational talks in roughly 40 states.[3] He has penned a book about his condition and the importance of tolerance titled What Makes You Tic? My Journey From Tourette's To Tolerance.[1]
He is now based in Manhattan.[3]

For the British actor, see Marc Elliott. For other people with a similar name, see Mark Elliot (disambiguation)

Early life

Marc Elliot was born in 1985 in St. Louis.[4] He was diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease, a rare intestinal disease, at birth.[4] A series of operations for the same left him with only 4 feet of small intestines.[3] When Elliot was nine years old, he was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome.[2] Elliot's case was brought into attention when he was covered by a local news channel, WTHR, for being ejected off a Greyhound. Sixteen-year-old Elliot repeatedly, and uncontrollably, shouted a racial slur. While the driver was aware of his condition, he was ejected from the bus taking him home to St. Louis as other passengers objected to his usage of the word.[5] Elliot made his first presentation at Clayton High School.[4]

College and career

Elliot attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he studied biology. Upon graduating in May 2008, he decided to embark upon a nationwide speaking tour, trying to raise awareness not only about his condition, but also to spread the message of tolerance which he believed was equally important. His presentation, "What Makes You Tic?", draws upon his own experiences of feeling uncomfortable and not fitting in order to discuss rudimentary messages about tolerance.[1]

In 2011, Campus Magazine named Elliot the winner of the best speaker and best diversity artist of the year.[6] A short documentary describing his experiences on living with Tourette's has over 500,000 views on YouTube.[7]
Elliot claims that taking courses through NXIVM (and working directly with Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman) have reportedly helped him overcome the various tics that used to affect him.[3]

His book, What Makes You Tic? My Journey From Tourette's To Tolerance, was published in January 2013. His book draws upon "...his experiences of being so different, he shares his lessons on tolerance, which have made him a wildly popular inspirational speaker.[8]

In 2020, Elliot helped form ‘Make Justice Blind’, an organization that claims to fight injustices in the criminal justice system. The group is led by loyal NXIVM and Keith Raniere supporters. The group is offering a monetary challenge to exonerate Raniere on both his sex trafficking and forced labor charges.[9]

NXIVM

Elliot is a member of NXIVM, a cult-harboring self-help organization located in Albany, New York, in which he credits founder and cult leader, Keith Raniere and co-founder Nancy Salzman for curing his Tourette syndrome.[10][11] The process was documented in My Tourettes, a documentary film directed by Alessandro Molatore, and executive produced by Clare Bronfman.[12]

In September 2020, Elliot spoke out in defense of Raniere in an interview with CBS News This Morning.[13]

References
  1. "About Marc". Marc Elliot. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  2. "Tics, compulsions and tolerance: Young man faces Tourette Syndrome with humor and openness - The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle". Jewishchronicle.org. 2009-02-18. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  3. "MarcElliot | WUSTL Magazine | Washington University in St. Louis". Magazine.wustl.edu. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  4. "Motivational speaker uses his struggles to inspire others - St. Louis Jewish Light: Ohr Chadash - Motivational speaker uses his struggles to inspire others: Ohr Chadash". Stljewishlight.com. 2013-01-12. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  5. "Racial slurs force Greyhound officials to remove a passenger from a bus - 13 WTHR Indianapolis". Wthr.com. 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  6. "Articles". Campus Activities Magazine. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  7. "Tourette's: What Makes You Tic?". YouTube. 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  8. "What Makes You Tic?: My Journey From Tourette's To Tolerance: Marc Elliot: 9780615556758: Amazon.com: Books". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  9. "Make Justice Blind". Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  10. Dickson, E. J. "How NXIVM Was the Ultimate Wellness Scam". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  11. Dickson, EJ (August 21, 2020). "How HBO's 'The Vow' Tells the Non-Sex-Cult Side of NXIVM". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  12. Berman, Sarah (May 1, 2018). "I Tried to Make Sense of the Alleged Sex Cult NXIVM's Bizarre Health Claims". Vice. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  13. Battiste, Nikki; Luibrand, Shannon; Hoenmeyer, Lauren (September 29, 2020). "Some supporters of Keith Raniere, ex-leader of alleged cult NXIVM, keep fighting for him". CBS News. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
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