Dear non-autistic fans of the new Power Rangers 2017 reboot.
I am autistic, as is Billy.Â
As we all know, Billy is the Blue Ranger. This may be an issue in April. Blue is the âawarenessâ color used by Autism Speaks, a charity that is offensive to a large portion of the autistic community.
Please do not associate Billy with the blue puzzle piece of Autism Speaks. Not in April, not ever.
Please do not create autism awareness âlight it up blueâ mood boards using the Blue Ranger. Not in April, not ever.
Do not buy any Power Rangers stuff if it has blue puzzle pieces or the Autism Speaks logo on it because that gives money to that organization.
Autism Speaks is an insult to autistic people everywhere and has done harm to the autistic community.Â
Most of the autistic community encourages a boycott of Autism Speaks and any products that donate to it.Â
* * * You can learn more here:
http://butterflyinthewell.tumblr.com/antias
Autism Speaks being big and well-known doesnât mean theyâre good. (Just like PETA, the Susan B. Komen foundation and some branches of the American Red Cross are trashâŚgoogle those names with the word controversy.)Â
Autism Speaks gave platforms to people who expressed a desire to kill their autistic children. Their founder, Suzanne Wright,(who passed away recently) has referred to autistic people as âmissingâ, as if we arenât really people, and compared us to people with Hansenâs disease (leprosy) who are âout of touch with timeâ in an appeal to the Vatican. This is very infantilizing language!
Autism Speaks exploits autistic people to get your money.
Autism Speaks only give 3% of their donations to autistic people while everything else is feeding their pockets, research (that is not helpful to us), advertising and marketing. So that means that you hand Autism Speaks 20 dollarsâŚand after itâs all spent the autistic community gets 60 cents.Â
Autism Speaks has stolen intellectual property from autistic people.
Autism Speaks doesnât have any autistic people in representative or leadership roles, yet it claims to represent autistic people.
Autism Speaks has used fear mongering propaganda tactics to make you think autism is a horrible epidemic that is ruining lives.
Autism Speaks has never apologized for any of its negative rhetoric, propaganda, theft, silencing of autistic voices or causing much of the negative stigma that still affects autistic people to this day.
I will probably get a lot of reblogs telling me to shut up because thatâs what Autism Speaks supporters do. Autism Speaks trains you to ignore autistic voices as âtrollsâ to further silence us.
Please listen to me, an autistic person.
Donât insult the autistic community by associating Billy, the Blue Ranger, with âlight it up blueâ, autism awareness stuff, blue puzzle pieces or Autism Speaks.
In April, the autistic community goes #REDInstead. We wear red instead of blue to protest Autism Speaksâ negative rhetoric and to bring about acceptance rather than useless awareness. Weâre taking back April and turning it into Autism Acceptance month. You can participate whether youâre autistic or not.
Awareness focuses on symptoms.
Acceptance focuses on personhood.
Jason, the Red Ranger, had it right when he became friends with Billy.Â
Be a Jason to the Billy in your life by listening to autistic voices.
