Trigger Warning: References to murder of autistic people
I could have sworn that it was June 19, but apparently Autistic Pride Day is June 18. That means I write my post to close they day rather than to start it.
I am Autistic.
My brain is different, the way I move is different. I don't pretend to be the same. I just insist that it's OK to be different. We don't need to be the same. I don't even want to be the same. If we were all the same, it'd be kind of boring.
We have a community. Actually, we have many communities.
We come together for the hard things, like reminding the world that your kid being autistic doesn't justify murdering them. Reminding the world that we hear them, and that we know what they're saying, and that their reactions encourage copycat crimes, so just stop it already.
We find time to come together to mourn while we fight. (I wish we could just mourn. But the fight to be seen as human doesn't wait.)
We come together for the happy things, like the Autistic Artistic Carnival (I'm in it again) and Autism Positivity.
We come together to speak on whatever it is we think needs saying. Loud Hands, Autistics Speaking Day.
We make physical communities, ever so briefly. Autreat. Autism Campus Inclusion Leadership Academy.
We plan longer-term physical communities. Autistic House. Not a group home of service providers taking care of (and controlling) us. A pile of us who want to live together figuring out ways to combine the skills we have so that we can choose if we want any neurotypical able-bodied service providers and who they are if we do. Because we have different sets of things we can do. Some of us can cook to keep ourselves fed. Some of us can keep our spaces clean. Some of us can hold paying jobs, but can't really do either of the first two things. It's all OK.
Some of us get married and have kids. Some of us don't. Some of us are prevented from realizing that we can if we want to or are prevented from doing so. Some of us just don't want to. We're people, and we're Autistic, and those two things are perfectly compatible.
I know it's still revolutionary to be OK with who we are. That's one of the things that needs changing. But it's Autistic Pride Day, and I am proud. I am proud of who we are, and I am proud of what we do.
I could have sworn that it was June 19, but apparently Autistic Pride Day is June 18. That means I write my post to close they day rather than to start it.
I am Autistic.
My brain is different, the way I move is different. I don't pretend to be the same. I just insist that it's OK to be different. We don't need to be the same. I don't even want to be the same. If we were all the same, it'd be kind of boring.
We have a community. Actually, we have many communities.
We come together for the hard things, like reminding the world that your kid being autistic doesn't justify murdering them. Reminding the world that we hear them, and that we know what they're saying, and that their reactions encourage copycat crimes, so just stop it already.
We find time to come together to mourn while we fight. (I wish we could just mourn. But the fight to be seen as human doesn't wait.)
We come together for the happy things, like the Autistic Artistic Carnival (I'm in it again) and Autism Positivity.
We come together to speak on whatever it is we think needs saying. Loud Hands, Autistics Speaking Day.
We make physical communities, ever so briefly. Autreat. Autism Campus Inclusion Leadership Academy.
We plan longer-term physical communities. Autistic House. Not a group home of service providers taking care of (and controlling) us. A pile of us who want to live together figuring out ways to combine the skills we have so that we can choose if we want any neurotypical able-bodied service providers and who they are if we do. Because we have different sets of things we can do. Some of us can cook to keep ourselves fed. Some of us can keep our spaces clean. Some of us can hold paying jobs, but can't really do either of the first two things. It's all OK.
Some of us get married and have kids. Some of us don't. Some of us are prevented from realizing that we can if we want to or are prevented from doing so. Some of us just don't want to. We're people, and we're Autistic, and those two things are perfectly compatible.
I know it's still revolutionary to be OK with who we are. That's one of the things that needs changing. But it's Autistic Pride Day, and I am proud. I am proud of who we are, and I am proud of what we do.
This! Is! Spectacular! ♥
ReplyDeleteI am so proud to be part of your community. Thank you.
ReplyDelete