tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3385816334913227032024-03-10T13:49:04.967-04:00Autistic Hoya — A blog by Lydia X. Z. Brown (2011-2020)"The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There is no innocence. Either way, you're accountable."
— Arundhati RoyLydia Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13484063914873791571noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-61569524030536849692020-09-16T17:37:00.003-04:002020-09-16T17:37:21.541-04:00Reconnecting Disability and Asexuality (repost)This article originally appeared in Disability Intersections on 29 January 2014. Here is the Internet Archive version of the original page. Reconnecting Disability and AsexualityLydia X. Z. BrownNote: This post contains a brief mention of rape.[Photo of people marching with mylar balloons that spell out "ASEXY"; photo by Marilyn Roxie on Flickr (used under a Creative Commons license).]On Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-40078121843358235662020-05-16T19:05:00.003-04:002020-05-16T19:08:33.931-04:00Gendervague: At the Intersection of Autistic and Trans Experiences (repost)I originally wrote this post for the National LGBTQ Task Force Blog, and it was published there on 22 June 2016. Here is a link to the last Wayback Machine capture of it, taken on 11 April 2019.
Below is the original post in its entirety - please note that I am not the person who came up with the word "gendervague." I don't know who did, but I've seen sources around the internet attributing it Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-6384988114498370352020-03-26T17:01:00.000-04:002020-03-26T17:01:48.709-04:00What I do know about COVID-19I don't know much about virology, epidemiology, or pharmacology. But I do know that the vast majority of my friends, colleagues, and community members, are scared for their lives. Because just like always, government and corporations are showing how little they value disabled people.
I know that at the end of this there's a very big possibility that literally half the people I know or Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-39368790634780782392019-10-10T18:18:00.000-04:002019-10-10T18:18:01.891-04:00Bad types of sex ed and sexual violence prevention about developmentally disabled peopleCW: If it's not obvious from the title, this (short) post talks about some very violently ableist ideas about sex and sexuality, including sexual violence.
Bad types of sex ed and sexual violence prevention about developmentally disabled people
Lydia X. Z. Brown
[Photo: Graphic showing photo of a dusty chalkboard on cinderblock walls. The text says "Bad types of sex ed and sexual violenceLydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-54163198940737865692018-10-11T23:35:00.000-04:002018-10-12T17:47:30.131-04:00The neurodiversity movements needs its shoes off, and fists up.
The neurodiversity movements needs its shoes off, and fists up.
CW: Mention of sexual violence.
Thanks to Tracey Hickey for intellectual support in drafting this essay.
[Photo: Graphic in deep red and black, with dark/dramatic aesthetic, showing many fists raised in the air. White large text says Neurodiversity Movement: Fists Up. Small white text says Autistic Hoya.]
There Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-72805305435745001352018-03-02T23:18:00.000-05:002018-03-02T23:18:25.099-05:00They keep publishing these violent articlesContent/TW: Abuse. Physical and emotional. Restraint. Deliberate causing trauma.
I am livid.
Shaking with rage.
There's this essay going around, in the Washington Post, hailed as brave and courageous.
A non autistic mother of an autistic young person wrote, triumphantly, about the time ten years ago she physically forced her kid into a crowded arena to see a show featuring one of their Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-57617860039699775172017-12-07T00:39:00.003-05:002018-01-14T18:52:33.893-05:00Why we must #BoycottToSiri / An open letter to Judith NewmanContent/TW: Discussions of involuntary sterilization, abusive parenting, mentions of Nazis, eugenics, intense anti-autistic ableism in general.
Why we must #BoycottToSiri
I originally wrote what appears below as a series of tweets, but they read better as a single letter. This is meant for Judith Newman, though I have no idea whether she will ever bother to read this blog post, and franklyLydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-22719141289941821022017-08-23T23:07:00.001-04:002022-09-15T01:49:41.632-04:00Thinking about patterns of opposite extremes among autistic peopleAbout a year and a half ago, I posted this list of characteristics that seem to be much more common in autistic people (especially the more of them a person has) than in non-autistic people. But both while writing that list, and over many years of thinking, being with other autistic people, and learning about many of our experiences, I keep noticing this one pattern among our experiences -- we Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-12386935723921138292017-01-06T10:43:00.001-05:002017-01-06T11:19:03.943-05:00Racism, Ableism, and Much-Needed Reminders on Chicago Torture CaseContent/tw: mentions and brief descriptions of sexual violence, torture, racism and specifically anti-Black racism, ableism
photo: a set of six street signs that say, Racism, Sexism, Heterosexism, Classism, Colonialism, Ableism. in the middle is a green banner that says Intersectionality, which is a term coined by a Black woman scholar, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw.
(1) The vast majorityLydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-51492777192734428012016-07-25T23:40:00.003-04:002016-07-25T23:40:58.919-04:00Ableism is not "bad words." It's violence.Content/TW: Somewhat graphic discussion of violent attack on disabled people; discussion of S.V. (rape).
Ableism is not "bad words." It's violence.
Photo: A police officer outside the facility, speaking to onlookers, in this photo taken by Kyodo on 26 July 2016.
Earlier today, a former employee of a residential institution in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, for disabled Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-84730906703173647072016-04-24T19:24:00.001-04:002016-04-25T00:37:25.063-04:00Georgetown makes progress on disability, but continues to fail.
Photo: Chalkboard with text that says, "Uncovering Institutional Ableism at Georgetown."
I've been out of Georgetown for almost a full year now, but while a student, I spent a lot of time agitating around the rampant ableism pervasive everywhere from classrooms and news coverage to the student services infrastructure and everyday social life.
In October 2015, Georgetown brought in two Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-83075038571343665162016-04-04T20:54:00.003-04:002022-09-15T01:54:06.347-04:00Hello, internalized ableismContent/TW: Internalized ableism, passing for neurotypical, not passing for neurotypical.
Hello, internalized ableism
I don't believe in the ableist, classist hierarchy that treats autistic people as "legitimately autistic" only if they have an on-paper diagnosis while other autistic people are treated dubiously and with suspicion if they self-identify without (obtaining) an on-paper Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-20917328520943814262016-02-11T22:12:00.003-05:002016-02-12T01:20:48.697-05:00Disabled people are not your feel-good back-pats.Anyone who watches Orange is the New Black remember the cringe-worthy Caputo episode? (S3, E11. "We Can Be Heroes." Yep, that's the title of it. And no real spoilers ahead in this post for people who didn't watch Season 3.)
So the whole drawn-out thing is an exercise of Caputo (terrible prison administrator who is for probably horrible patriarchal, misogynistic reasons portrayed as the Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-32192213955261424362016-02-10T13:13:00.004-05:002022-09-15T01:55:28.256-04:00An Open Letter to the Educators That I Work With
An Open Letter to the Educators That I Work With
This anonymous post comes to Autistic Hoya from the same anonymous contributor who wrote "How to be an Ally to Sick People," "A Guide to Sighted Allyhood," and "How to be an Ally for People with PTSD."
Having a bad day? Stressed out? Under-slept? Headache? You were so kind to me when you could tell I was under the weather and Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-63282055511380308812016-01-05T12:22:00.003-05:002016-01-05T17:26:13.286-05:00You want real change to stop gun violence?
Content/TW: Liberal profanity (including many f-words), gun violence, institutions, police violence, racism, ableism.
Photo: Hand-drawn cartoon of a hand holding a gun, and another person's hand putting the index finger down the barrel of the gun.
You want real change to stop gun violence?
Stop throwing people of color and psych disabled people under the fucking bus.
Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-4538096346133749272015-12-12T20:58:00.000-05:002016-01-02T03:15:26.285-05:00Why do I think I'm autistic . . . This was actually originally a question on a survey as part of a research study (which asked me why do I consider myself to be autistic, in addition to having once been handed an on-paper diagnosis, which yes is a class privilege to be able to get), but my answer ended up being so long-winded that I'm going to put it here, just in case it's helpful to anyone who might be out there questioning andLydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-89455389694517984982015-12-03T00:52:00.001-05:002016-06-30T15:47:18.761-04:00too dry to cryContent/TW: Gun violence, mass shooting, detailed discussion of ableism and racism (especially against Black and Brown people) surrounding such events, mention of sexual violence, occasional swearing.
Edit (30 June 2016): I have removed a small section of this post that overall was not relevant to its main points of discussion and did not need to be included.
I haven't written nearly as Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-77952738975100803372015-11-16T19:15:00.001-05:002015-11-16T19:15:49.096-05:00In Solidarity with Black Students at Georgetown University
Photo: Brick outside wall of the Intercultural Center (ICC) with chalk lettering that reads, "Black Students of GU, Your Allies Stand With You."
I did not write the text of the letter below the asterisks (and do not want to claim credit for the words -- it's circulating among many conscious and conscientious alumni), but I wholeheartedly endorse it as a non-Black alumn of color only recently Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-77741268683949900962015-11-07T16:34:00.001-05:002015-11-07T17:39:37.575-05:00#TheAbleistScript (The Original Tweets)Content/TW: Institutionalization, sexual violence, gaslighting, other discussions of violence.
On Friday, I was fed up and pissed off at the everyday, casual ableism endemic to everything from pop culture and fandom to exchanges with total strangers and things that have happened to my friends and me. So I started tweeting under #TheAbleistScript -- both verbatim things people have said and Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-22959606375833378752015-10-13T13:11:00.000-04:002015-10-13T13:11:28.330-04:00Court Hearing on JRC - October 26!Content/TW: Fairly descriptive discussion of torture and abuse of people with disabilities using electric shock in an institution.
There is a court hearing about the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) scheduled to begin on Monday, October 26 in the Bristol County Probate & Family Court in Taunton, Massachusetts. Arguments are expected to continue for around a month. If you are able to attend Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-23332204600215053262015-07-13T00:35:00.004-04:002015-07-13T00:35:50.439-04:00How Not to Plan Disability Conferences
How Not to Plan Disability Conferences
(or, how to be an ableist asswipe while planning a disability conference)
1. Form a planning committee without any actually disabled people on it. You’re parents/researchers/professors/professionals. You know what you’re doing, and you can do it without letting those pesky little personal biases get in the way.
2. Alternatively, form a planning Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-66907739203987303342015-07-08T23:34:00.003-04:002015-07-08T23:34:35.099-04:00"No, but seriously, where are you REALLY from?"
It's not a picture of me, but it's from this campaign by Oxford students of color about racist microaggressions. Photo: Young person outdoors making incredulous face, holding whiteboard that says, "Then... why do you speak such good English?"
Have you ever wondered why non-white people seem to get so upset / offended / angry / annoyed / etc. when you ("you" here usually meaning white people [Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-55893998809216298452015-06-19T08:47:00.000-04:002018-01-25T15:34:59.162-05:00Call for PCA Story SubmissionsThis post is from a friend and fellow activist, Sarah Rizzuto.
Call for PCA Story Submissions
Photo: Sarah Rizzuto (using a wheelchair) smiling at the camera.
Hi, everyone,
My name is Sarah Rizzuto, and I’m interested in assembling and publishing a collection of nonfiction stories about personal care assistants (PCAs) and the disabled individuals who employ them. If you have Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-67622161172478405812015-06-03T00:19:00.001-04:002015-06-03T00:19:54.176-04:00The best advocates for people with disabilities Content/TW: Discussion of ableism and abuse.
The best advocates for people with disabilities are other disabled people. Not their non-disabled parent(s), not their non-disabled teachers, not non-disabled researchers and professors, not non-disabled support or care workers or clinicians or therapists or professionals. Us.
(I preface these possible relations or positions as non-disabled because Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338581633491322703.post-107649721251662172015-03-24T02:23:00.004-04:002015-03-24T02:33:08.528-04:005 Ableist Reasons Autistic Bloggers Lag Behind
(Autistic tangent/photo description: So the title of this post contains the phrase "Ableist Reasons" and the word "Bloggers." I thought I'd find a picture of me typing on a laptop, but couldn't find one, so I settled for this photo of me at the University of Victoria in November 2014, giving a talk appropriately named "The Ableism Crisis: Violence, Marginality, and Disability Justice." So the Lydia X. Z. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04500253664516894122noreply@blogger.com31