Autistic Hedgehog

Repurposing the term ‘quiet hands’?

I’ve mentioned before that I wanted to write science fiction starring an autistic character. I’ve written the first manuscript, though it still needs work. As a plot out the series and more ideas come to mind, there’s research I need to do. In this case, a question I need to ask my fellow autistics.

I’d like to repurpose the term ‘quiet hands,’ filled with so much negativity to so many of us, and use it for something else. In my sci fi universe there are a group of neurodivergent people who hide, sometimes in plain sight, to protect themselves from those who would want to erase them. Starting with autistics who pass very successfully (hence the use of Quiet Hands) they formed a group that works to protect other neuroatypicals from erasure. They work within the neurotypical population, finding others like them, giving them a home, ensuring that their needs are met. Throughout the history of my universe they’ve grown as a group, encompassing other neurodivergences and other disabilities. 

I like the double meaning of calling them the Quiet Hands, but I wanted to know what other autistics thought about the idea. Is it too much? Would it bother you, or do you think it works? 

Please sign and signal boost this petition!

TW: ableism, homophobia, murder

‘In the early hours of the 23rd of June, Steven Simpson was set on fire by 20 year old Jordan Sheard, who had gate-crashed his house party in Cudworth, near Barnsley. He had been verbally abused, stripped of his clothes and had phrases like “I love d*ck” and “gay boy” scrawled across his body. He was then doused in tanning oil and Sheard lit his crotch with a cigarette lighter, and the flames engulfed his body. Those involved fled as Simpson’s neighbour tried desperately to put out the flames. Simpson died the next day after enduring 60% burns to his body.

Steven Simpson’s murder was the result of the hatred and humiliation caused to him because of his sexuality, and his disability. He was bullied, de-humanised and then killed. It follows the format of many killings of LGBTQ people world wide.

Sheffield Crown Court’s view on the matter has been frankly disgusting. Judge Roger Keen dismissed the crime as a ‘good-natured horseplay’ that had gone too far, and sentenced him to a unusually short sentence of three and a half years in prison. Sheard’s defence lawyer called what happened to Simpson as a ‘stupid prank that went wrong in a bad way’.

This was clearly a hate crime. Simpson was being taunted for his sexuality and his disability. He was devalued so much in the eyes of those involved, that they thought setting him on fire was somehow acceptable. He was a bright young man studying at Barnsley College, but his last moments alive on this earth must have been dehumanising, painful and terrifying.

How Judge Roger Keen can dismiss this so flippantly as “horseplay” is beyond us. He is re-enforcing the same notions that lead to Steven’s death: that homophobic bullying is fun, rather than a crime against LGBTQ people, that it is okay to mock or take advantage of someone’s disability, rather than looking out for them and treating them with respect, that setting someone on fire and burning them to death is a joke gone too far, rather than one of the inevitable consequences of the way we still treat people like Steven in our society.

It makes us sick to the stomach to think someone so young has been killed because he was different – and the frightening fact is that could have been any one of us that lives with a disability, or who is LGBTQ. Many have commented on the lenient sentencing of Steven’s killer, however I think this misses the point. The point here is the criminal justice system is complicit in the oppression of LGBTQ people and disabled people, when it makes comments like those of Judge Keen’s. It is churning out the very same ideas that lead to hate-crime.

It is not a joke, funny, or horseplay to treat someone in the way Steven was and we should not condone it as such. If we do condone this behaviour we are sending out the message that LGBTQ people and disabled people are fair game to be bullied and preyed upon. We are sending out the message that this okay for other young people to do what was done to Steven. It appears it is all okay with Judge Keen, just as long as you don’t kill someone.

But the point is, the way Steven was killed, was precisely a result of how he was treated. If he had just been treated like any other young person, with a bit of decency or respect, it would never have happened.

This is the message that Sheffield Crown Court should have put out. 

We hereby condemn Judge Keen’s remarks, call for him to make a public apology, and to make a statement recongising the daily battle people like Steven face because of their sexuality and their disability.

Steven’s death should serve as a reminder of what our LGBTQ and disabled youth face today.

https://www.change.org/petitions/office-for-judicial-complaints-judge-roger-keen-apologise-and-commit-to-protecting-lgbtq-disabled-youth

I’ve not seen much about this on Tumblr, presumably because it happened in the North of England and not in the United States, but our disabled LGBT youth are important too! I encourage people to reblog so as many people sign the petition as possible.

When allistics refer to Autism as something separate from the person.

Saw this on the Autism tag. “Look out Autism, we’re going to deal with you!” Okay, first off, don’t these people see how immature they sound? Like, “We’re going to fight you big bad Autism doo doo head!”

I think growing up being expected to behave socially appropriate by the schools I went to, has given me no tolerance for adults who cope the way toddlers do. Autism is a developmental disorder. It’s not the boogeyman, or the monster under your bed. A child shouldn’t have to deal with a parent, who refers to their diagnoses like a scared toddler. Finding out your child has Autism means you need to be more of a parent, that means helping your child, rather than calling “Autism” bad names as if you’re going to scare it off.

A lot of consideration should go to those of us with Autism who try to understand your situation. It’s like helping a 2 year old get over their fear of the dark. Adults with Autism shouldn’t have to come and tell you it’s going to be all right, because your sniffling over your child having a difference.

I’m sure I’ll be getting over dramatic responses about how, I don’t know what it’s like, and “You’re MEAN!”. Autistic people have a right to existence. They have a right to be treated as any other child would. That means not having to parent their parents, because their parents age regressed when they found out the diagnoses, and wanted to hide under their blankie and suck their thumb. How can a child have a childhood, when their parents hear the word Autism, and collapse into a self-pitying crying jag, or start chanting that they’re gonna beat that big bad Autism.

I am not exaggerating, on one of the Autism Every Day videos, they had the parents call on the “Powha of voodoo” to save their children from Autism. Autism Speaks is leading self-pitying martyr parents in a kindergarten sing-a-long. That is pathetic. Meanwhile Autistic children have to deal with the real world, while their parents go on Tumblr and other sites communing over how the big bad Autism ruined their lives.

So why should Autistic people be expected to function, when so many NTs have shown they can’t. No, I don’t have slack of empathy. I just reserve it for parents who act like parents. Not parents who woe is me over their child’s diagnoses. Not parents who go to one of Autism Speaks open house kinder care for parents with a child with Autism group “Everyone gets a hug because they helped their child today! Yay!” sessions. I reserve my empathy for adults who act like adults. Don’t tell me or anyone else with Autism they have functioning problems, while you’re dealing with life as a small child does.