what’s with the weird stigma that being closeted is okay but only if it would be physically unsafe for you to come out? coming out is YOUR business, if you know it would be fine & nothing would happen to you & nobody would care, but you don’t want to anyway, that’s your choice and it’s perfectly valid.
Also this is not binary. It can be physically safe, but endanger your job/education, your living situation, your professional or personal contacts. And sometimes you just don’t know if it does.
Do you ever just stop and think about how just being queer is immediately considered an action of deception and hiding? How weird is that, right? If a stranger walks into the room, suddenly I’m no longer out of the closet. I’ve taken no action to declare my identity one way or the other, but now I’m considered responsible for this stranger’s mis-assumption.
Coming out is continuous. You know that thing where two mirrors face each other and you can see infinite mirrors? Coming out is like walking down that mirror passage – there’s always another closet door after the one you’ve just opened, there’s always another person waiting to hold you responsible for their assumptions.
Fuck that noise. If it’s unsafe in any way for you to open the closet door, you don’t have to. If it’s completely and perfectly safe, you still don’t have to. You didn’t put that door there, you’re not responsible for anyone else’s judgments of you. Fuck that noise.
The only reason coming out exists as a concept is because society has codified heterosexuality as the default value. Then instead of recognizing the absence of information as a null i.e. no value, an unknown orientation, we treat the absence of information as confirmation of the default value. So unless otherwise specified, everyone is considered straight. And further if a non-straight individual doesn’t actively work to challenge the default, society holds them accountable and calls it “deception.” So I’ll reiterate from above- fuck that noise. Just because society has established a shitty set of assumptions doesn’t mean you have to play that game. Tell what you want to who you want and sleep well at night knowing you don’t owe anyone anything.
You may not be aware of the charity Caudwell Children whom are a UK-based autism charity. They are basically the Autism $peaks of the United Kingdom.
They are holding a campaign called “Locked In For Autism” and it is disgusting and not driven by #ActuallyAutistic people.
Unlike the National Autistic Society, whom has changed their stances and not used much ableist language, they are relying on parents’ experiences.
The box is allegedly a metaphor for how locked in we are. We are not “locked into our world”.
This is not to mention that this charity has sided with anti-vaccine supporters, and funds harmful ABA therapy. It is also run by a millionaire. This charity is horrifically harmful and we need to stop this harmful campaign.
Without your help, we may not be able to stop this campaign – because they are not listening.
If you are in the UK, you should phone them on 01782 600 867 and tell them you are extremely unhappy with this campaign as an autistic person. I have attached a script below;
Hi there. I’m an autistic person and I am telephoning to say that I am extremely unhappy with your Locked In For Autism campaign. It is mainly parent-run, and neurotypical adults cannot speak for us. They do not know anything about our actual experiences.
You are also implying that we are “locked in”, and we absolutely are not. You may think “severely” autistic people are, but there is no such thing as “severely” autistic.
I am telling you to stop this campaign immediately. It is extremely harmful to us. You are not spreading acceptance for us – you are trying to make people “aware” of us and that is not what we want.
Please also cease fundraising for ABA therapy. It is horrifically harmful, and erases a person for who they are. Many harmful autism charities support this practice and it is not acceptable. It needs to stop.
Thank you for your time.
If you are not in the UK, or otherwise are not capable of reaching them over the phone, email andy.bailey@caudwellchildren.com with how unhappy you are. This is the man in charge of the campaign, most likely – and he will hear all of your comments. You can also @ the supermarket chain Tesco on Twitter (@Tesco) where the Locked In events are taking place to express your dismay at these disgusting events.
Please take some time today to help stop this harmful campaign going on. We cannot have another country that has Autism $peaks rhetoric spreading through it.
Even if you’re neurotypical, we’d appreciate your help in stopping yet another harmful organisation erasing our voices.
Currently, there are two Senators ready to vote ‘no’ on bringing the thing to a vote (Susan Collins from Maine and Rand Paul from Kentucky), one from each faction (Collins from the ‘moderates,’ Paul from the hard-liners).
Potential third ‘no’s are:
Shelley Capito (R-West Virginia)
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Rob Portman (R0-Ohio)
Dean Heller (R-Arizona)
Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska)
Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana)
Bob Corker (R-Tennessee)
Heller, Capito, and Murkowski came out against the last version. So if you’re from one of these states and you want to put a stake through this fucking thing’s heart, today’s a good day to call your Senator!
Remember that guy who claimed BLM protesters vandalized his house but he’d actually done it himself and one of the thing he wrote in graffiti on his driveway was “blacks rule”
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 
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