"I celebrate myself, and sing myself..."
I celebrate pride not only as a feeling of accomplishment- although to survive, achieve, and possibly even thrive in a society that demonizes, pities,silences and attempts to extinguish that which it considers too different to be allowed can, in and of itself be a prideworthy achievement. Nor is my pride only a shared joy in the notable achievements of others.

Pride is, at its core, about self-respect. Pride exists as a rejection of humiliation and hatred. It is a declaration that yes, we are worth no less than the rest of you, whether we are capable of 'passing' or not; that our value as human beings is not determined by our abilities or our impairments; that just like everyone else we have the right to live and love and choose and be.

I am proud because I refuse to be ashamed.


Happy Autistic Pride Day, everyone.