Aspies For Freedom

I don't like "autistic pride day"  

Being autistic is a natural part of who we are.
Therefore, we should be neither proud nor ashamed of it.

I'd rather have an "International Autistics' Day". It is a more neutral term.

Ken
("I can not know what I would be if I were not me. I can only guess me" Robert Wyatt)

I think the title "Autistic Awareness Day" would be more appropriate, since "Autistic Pride Day" gives some people associations with parades of another minority group (nothing against those people, of course, I know a few gay people and they're always a good laugh!) but that may give us the wrong impression. I don't have the idea we will be parading in Berlin or San Francisco any time soon, but we'll probably set up conferences and the like.

The term "autistic pride" was chosen for a very specific purpose - to prevent curebies hijacking the day. Imagine if it was simply autism awareness day - every curebie around would be using it to sell chelation and ABA in the name of awareness.

International Autistics Day has been suggested before, and awareness day.
These are very general in meaning, and could easily be the same as the autism awareness weeks set up by NT parents, for NT parents.

That is not going to specifically benefit us, and certainly not when the bulk of the news stories for those weeks are relating to children, and their parents, and problems.

We need something that is absolutely positive, and that cannot easily have the meaning changed in the media or by cure groups.

I think people will not be confused with gay pride and think that all autistics are gay, or some such thing, there is also black pride, and I doubt if people will think we are all black either.

I think people will either keep the same stereotpyed image, or be enlightened and realise that we can be happy with ourselves like other minorities.

I don't have a strong view on this, but how about Celebrate Autism! day?

Well if it was 18 months ago - good. But the name of the day is already established, so unless there was a vitally important reason to change it, its better to continue for the sake of decreasing confusion.

I don't think we should change course now.

Personally, I'd say the same if the event was well-known, also outside of the UK. It's on Wikipedia, I announced it on one of our biggest ASD forums here (no curebies!) and some people instantly started to make fun of it. I don't think that's the message we should send. We want this event to be renowned for its Aspie support (maybe arrange one or two Aspie celebrities to speak?) and not because people associate it *instantly* with the gay pride movement.

I really like the idea and the philosophy behind APD, but the name simply sticks in my head with Berlin parade associations. Maybe we could do a small change in the event's name that would give the event (also abroad where someone drops the name first and not gets a response right away like "Ow, something like Gay Pride Day?". That's what we want to avoid.

Note: No grudge is held against gay people here, but some people have a tendency to put an extravagant message to it.

There's little point in changing the name when it's already established. Autistic Pride Day is quite an appropiate term, the same as gay pride or black pride.

Or national pride.

Being gay is mainstream compared with autism :!: If people are uncomfortable about gays, they're going to like us even less.

Anyway, the title "Autistic Pride" makes our position very clear to all. We are proud of who we are. We are not ashamed of being different. We are happy to be identified as autistic.

None of the other proposed titles convey so much in so few words, or are so difficult to hi-jack by curebie interlopers, or be mistaken for some CAN-type happening.

Stella

No matter what you do, the curebies and abusers are going to try and do something to twist our message. Just look at those Law & Order episodes, for instance. It kind of makes me wish we could start buying commercial airtime (or even PSA time, which is supposedly cheaper) and broadcasting messages to remind people that a) they take a lot of things people like us made for granted and b) we're not going anywhere.

Pride is a great word for it. Here's a passage from my fourth manuscript to give you an idea of what I think when I hear the word:

“You have a horde of youthful Elf women wanting to introduce themselves to you,” Gygli reminded Móriis. “Why are you sitting here like you just saw a child die?”

“When I was younger and just started working in the mines, we learned there was a pecking order,” said Móriis. “We knew in no uncertain terms that the soldiers got the beautiful, bold women. I do not feel like I am vaguely in my element here.”

“How many battles have you fought, son?” Gygli asked, trying to adopt a tone of wisdom and seniority when he was in reality not even three decades older. “How many Orcs have you killed?”

“One,” Móriis admitted with a feeling of shame. “I lost count of how many Orcs I killed in it after the second. I know that no Orc swung a sword at me without being killed.”

“Then you are a soldier,” Gygli told Móriis. “Call yourself one, and carry yourself with the pride it entails.”

Are you saying I should be neither proud nor ashamed of who I am? I am very proud of who I am. I try to be a good person, I'm very honest, and I've some accomplishments I'm proud of. However, I'm ashamed of some of the things I've done and said. I'm ashamed of some mistakes I've made. But all in all, I'm proud to be me. I wouldn't want to be anyone else.

I don't want this to be taken the wrong way, but if people *instantly* associate it with Gay Pride, that's their problem.

I personally don't even see a problem with the similarities. 2 minority groups getting together (seperately, as they are seperate events) to express their happiness in being themselves and fighting for equal rights.

It doesn't mean we're all gay. And that doesn't mean none of us are. It doesn't mean all gays are Aspies or NTs. They are 2 seperate causes.

People do not choose where they are born, but they can still be proud of where they live. The same can be said of many unchosen things, like a talent for music, art, science.