Autistic Joy is Revolutionary
Autistic Pride Day is an annual celebration started by and for Autistic people, to celebrate pride in being Autistic. But in recent months, with a flood of troubling news and misinformation, feeling that pride can be difficult.
This year, we are celebrating Autistic pride for the third time, and with the theme: Autistic Joy is Revolutionary. Autistic joy can be described as the intense feeling of joy many of us experience when we are able to engage in our special interests, are free to stim and fully embrace our Autistic selves, or when we connect with other Autistic people.
The constant outpouring of news is supposed to make us feel scared and overwhelmed. During this day we stand publically and share our truths, our joys, and our needs for the world to listen. We showcase our Autistic joy and celebrate our identity alongside our friends, family, and allies and refuse to hide in shame. Our rebellion against this wave of fear is a refusal to be swept away by chaos, an act of hope meant to encourage others to embrace their identity and push for change.
Autistic pride isn’t always easy to feel, especially in a world that often refuses to accommodate us. The concept of pride doesn’t contradict the full picture of being Autistic - the highs, the lows, and the wide range of experiences and needs within our community. Pride is taking control. It’s resistance to carrying shame, being infantilized, or being seen as broken. Pride goes hand in hand with needing support and accommodations. Our demands challenge the narrative around disability. You let people know, disability isn’t a bad word, and support doesn’t make you “less than.”
Pride is fighting against misinformation that perpetuates stigma. Pride is fighting for policies and programs that support us, not policies that threaten our safety and livelihood, such as an autism registry and defunding of medicaid and programs our community rely on. And pride is fighting against the societal concept that we need to meet some standard to have “value.” Our value and our sense of pride is not derived from whether or not we can write a poem or get a job. There is value in everyone's existence and just being human is valuable.
Some days, it’s hard to shake off the shame society puts on us. But even in those moments, pride is something you can choose to practice. It lives in every step toward self-acceptance, every act of advocating for your needs, and every time you affirm your worth. I’ll end with an invitation to celebrate Autistic Pride Day - whether that’s with us here in NYC, in your own life, in your home, workplace, or wherever you are in the world. Celebrate for yourself, for a family member, a friend, or for our community as a whole.
