Drenched Rat (AMA)

Like can people with disabilities not have fun talking about characters like them anymore? We've revolved right back around into "pray away the mental illness" territory. Harrassing people about talking about certain symptoms of autism because it's 'stereotyping' is not the woke move you think it is.

When I talk about autism here, I talk about a lot of common symptoms. Most of the time they're symptoms that I personally have. Actual symptoms of autism are not 'stereotypes.' Stereotypes of autism are where people think that autistic people are stupid and can't think for themselves, can't experience love, etc.

I grew up in an age where I as an autistic person was accused of having it because I took a vaccine in second grade. I once was exorcised over my autism symptoms. My mother didn't speak to me for over a year as a child because she didn't want to deal my speech issues as a kid. I was the odd one out, the weird kid. I felt I had to take medication that made me feel awful because it was supposed to make me 'normal.' And all of this was because autism was so stigmatized. No one talked about it and assumed the worst because of it. I spent decades hating and hiding myself because everyone else hated the parts of me that weren't 'normal.'

Now I have the ability to talk about my autism and instead of being harassed by the same people who stigmatized autism for me growing up, I see people acting as if they're the protectors of autistic people while simultaneously telling us to shut the fuck up about our autism.

I talk about characters I like having autism like me in the hopes that someone else who has maybe struggled like I have will see that I am here just like them, that they are not alone in the world, and that these characters that they may also love and relate to may be similar to them in a way that might just make other autistic people feel better in their skin.

Because if badass space farers, vigilantes overturning societies, and tv stars can have autism too, then maybe the rest of us can be more than what shitty autism speaks commercials or christian moms want us to be.