Things that have been happening in the autistic community recently that everyone, allistics included, should know about:
Trigger warning murder and transphobia.
January/November 2019: Matthew Rushin’s accident and wrongful imprisonment case
Matthew, a 21-year-old Black autistic college student, was in January 2019 involved in a car accident, which was wrongfully claimed a suicide attempt. He is currently in prison and facing a 10-year sentence, essentially for having an autistic meltdown while being Black. In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, his case has gained public traction. More information can be found here, here and here. Sign the petition here.
May 18th: Chad Gordon killed in a case of mistaken identity
Chad, a 27 year-old Black autistic man from Hackney, London, was fatally shot at close range when he opened his door on Monday May 18th. Read more about his tragic murder here.
May 21st: Alejandro Ripley’s murder
Alejandro, a 9-year-old autistic, non-speaking boy, was brutally murdered by his own mother in Florida. After having been saved by bystanders the first time his mother pushed him into a canal, he later died in a different canal. According to the mom, “he’s going to be in a better place”. Read more details here.
May 30th: Iyad Al-Khalak’s murder
Iyad/Eyad Al-Khalak, a 32-year-old Palestinian autistic man, was shot and killed by Israeli police in Jerusalem. Apologies have been made by the government, but the police officers involved need to be held accountable. Sign the petition here. I have made a post about other actions you can take to demand justice, which you can find here.
June 10th: JJ Vallow (and Tylee Ryan)’s confirmed death
Two children, Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, had been missing since September, 2019. The family has confirmed the remainders that have been found are indeed JJ and Tylee. JJ was an autistic 7-year-old boy, and Tylee was his 17-year-old sister. More details can be found here, and here.
May/June: Huxley Stauffer’s “rehoming”
YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer recently declared to “rehome” their adopted, autistic 4-year-old named Huxley from China. According to them, this was due to “extent of his needs”. Huxley is currently the subject of a police investigation, as his whereabouts are unknown. For more details, see here and here.
J.K. Rowling’s infantalisation of trans autistic people
As many of you probably know, J.K. Rowling posted a “response” to the criticism she’s been receiving on June 10th. You can read the post here. With the words:
“The UK has experienced a 4400% increase in girls being referred for transitioning treatment. Autistic girls are hugely overrepresented in their numbers. [...] ‘I (Lisa Littman) would have been remiss had I not considered social contagion and peer influences as potential factors.’ [...] where she believes that in the realm of transgender identification ‘youth have created particularly insular echo chambers.’ ,
Rowling has upset the autistic community. Infantalisation is a senstive issue among autistics, as it is a tactic used to undermine our capabilities. If you want to read what trans autistic people have to say about this, search #WeAreNotConfused on Twitter.
Solomon Smith’s experience with police
Solomon “Sunny” Smith, a Black autistic man, was walking home, racially profiled and tased, because he couldn’t respond to demands. In the video here you can hear him repeatedly say: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry”. Black autistics are at an extremely high risk to be in contact with the police, and this is an issue that needs to be addressed.
What these recent events confirm is that autistic lives are at risk at an alarming rate. We are treated inhumanely, even by those who should be our caregivers. We are being murdered for existing. Black autistics in particular fear for their lives. They should not be left out of the conversation. So, spread the word: #BlackAutisticLivesMatter, #BlackDisabledLivesMatter!
Our community is overwhelmed. We are scared. Autistic people are generally at a high risk of suicide, and being Black and/or trans on top of that, is dangerous in times like these. Please support us by sharing these stories, signing petitions and most importantly: listen. Check in on your autistic friend, ask them how they’re coping with these events - amidst everything that is going on - and listen to what they might need. Be supportive.
