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Erin Ekins (she/her)

@QueerlyAutistic

13 Feb

I think it's important to talk about the way Sia behaved towards autistic people on Twitter, and the behaviour she enabled from her fans, because it was more than just offensive. For many autistics, online spaces are our community, and her actions drove people off their accounts.

It's just a small part of the greater harm, but this has had a genuine, damaging, violent impact on many autistic people who found themselves in the crosshairs of her defensiveness. I know that people are still receiving death threats from people 'defending' Sia.

This shit is important. Driving someone off Twitter, particularly a disabled person, could very easily be driving them away from their main support circles, and, in the instances of full time advocates, driving them away from the work that keeps a roof over their heads.

Read 5 tweets

Erin Ekins (she/her)

@QueerlyAutistic

6 Feb

There's just such a strong 'in my utopia you don't exist' vibe from some of these takes around anti-capitalism and the social model of disability.

It's important to talk about how yes, capitalism absolutely contributes to mental illness, and in some cases the demands of capitalism make things like ADHD and autism even more disabling, but disabilities aren't going to be 'fixed' if and when we destroy capitalism.

Takes like these, however well intentioned and however much they may accidentally touch on the brink of an important conversation, only serve to play into the ableism that rips through anti-capitalist and leftist spaces and makes them unsafe for disabled people.

Read 6 tweets

Erin Ekins (she/her)

@QueerlyAutistic

21 Jan

I don't think we should be gentle or patient with politicians.

'Give them time to settle in.'

People are literally dying every second they don't do something, this isn't like you starting a new job and getting to know your surroundings before getting to work.

People aren't expecting them to fix everything instantly, however, demanding it loudly from the second they set foot in that fucking building is the way to make sure it does get done.

That's why people are doing the 'Biden still hasn't cancelled student debt' type tweets.

Because that's how you exert pressure from the very beginning and let them know you aren't fucking around with these demands.

You wanted this position of power? Then you put up with people shouting at you to save their lives from the moment you start to the moment you finish.

Read 5 tweets

Erin Ekins (she/her)

@QueerlyAutistic

20 Jan

@Sia

If you want to show love for autistics, @Sia, you need to use your platform to correct this misinformation, and to ensure that your millions of followers are aware of the dangers of, and are encouraged to join the pushback against, the use of such restraint on autistic people.

It won't remove all the harm that's been done, but it'd be a damned good start that could actually help people. Use your influence and power in a way that helps us to mitigate future harm. It's the right thing to do.

For example, here is a campaign in Scotland against these types of restraints, which people can get involved in or use as a basis for their own activism on this: enable.org.uk/insafehands/

Read 4 tweets

Erin Ekins (she/her)

@QueerlyAutistic

20 Jan

@Sia

Tw: restraint, death

In showing the main character restraining her autistic sister by lying on top of her on the floor (without criticising it), @Sia has promoted a technique that routinely kills autistic people under the guise of 'caring' for them.

Love letter to who, sorry?

I cannot emphasise how fucking harmful this is. How can you make a whole film out of your 'love' for autistic people and not be aware of the multitudes of autistic people who have been killed using this technique? People may walk away thinking this is the correct thing to do.

@Sia

You have caused real harm with this, @Sia. People could get hurt or die, whatever your intention. Please just acknowledge the harm you have caused, apologise, and seek to put it right by correcting your misinformation and spreading the word about how dangerous restraint is.

Read 5 tweets

Erin Ekins (she/her)

@QueerlyAutistic

9 Jan

You should pursue an autism diagnosis whenever it feels right for you to do so. You do not have to cross a threshold of suffering first - in fact, you deserve whatever it takes to help make sure you don't ever reach breaking point, and diagnosis is often a part of that.

The fact that so many people only get diagnosed when they are struggling the most, because people only see the suffering side of autism and therefore don't recognise anything else, is an issue that we have been trying to rectify for years - it ruins and takes lives.

You deserve to have a diagnosis and access support and accommodations BEFORE you reach breaking point.

You deserve better than to have to wait until you can't cope anymore.

You deserve to never have to hit the depths of that rock bottom place.

Read 4 tweets

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