RANT: You are not automatically an #ally or advocate of #Autistic folks simply because you have a child, friend, or relative with Autism, or who is on the Spectrum.

The title of “ally” is earned through trust and the title of “advocate” is earned when you are willing to put YOUR OWN blood, sweat, and tears into the fight for our dignity.

I am Autistic and also exhausted by the casual ableism and bigotry of neurotypical people, especially on social media, who think that degrading our non-verbal and higher needs peers on the Spectrum is a compliment to us, or anything more than a dog whistle for eugenics.

Telling me that my Autism is “cute and quirky” while labeling someone I love whose neurodivergence presents differently as “hopeless”, “worthless”, “pathetic”, “annoying unlike you”, “too sad to acknowledge”, or anything other than VALID AND WORTHY OF HUMAN DIGNITY, you are an ableist.

Unpack that deeply held belief you hold that you are “better than” us first, and then maybe we will GAF about what you have to say.

Stop using Neurodivergent people as props in your company or organizations PR, or as a marketing campaign about diversity , and then calling us words like “r-tard” to our faces behind closed doors, and firing us when we speak up and out about workplace discrimination we face.

Allyship isn’t a money making trick; we see directly through you.