Reading this makes me feel sick to my stomach. I bought your books and followed your blog because I felt seen and understood by your writing on autism. Do you not realize or care that not all autistic people agree with your political views? Of course you are free to engage in activism in your personal life, but why do you feel it’s appropriate to push your views on your readers who are here because we are neurodivergent, not for yet another political polemic? It’s professionally irresponsible and hurtful to people in the community you have built your career on.
Better reread the book. Specifically the sections on prison abolition and on Palestinian Autistics being shot by Israeli police. My political views are all over the books that you love.😘
I have only read Unmasking Autism at this point. I have bought the next one.
I don’t recall political content, which means you must have included it appropriately and thoughtfully in the book. That is, provided as context, or biographical detail, not presented as central to the topic of (masked) autism.
As I said in a comment below, your response feels unempathetic and sarcastic. If you care more about Palestinian justice than the autistic community (the whole community, not just the ones that share your identity-values), that’s valid—why don’t you write books about Gaza?
If you are a public figure in the autistic community, you have a responsibility to help make that community welcoming and engaged with autistics of all backgrounds and beliefs.
Autistic liberation is inherently political. You don't get to reap the benefits of decades of neurodiversity activism without giving a shit about other oppressed groups. Get out of here if you don't.
Emmie, I’m curious why you believe its appropriate to push your political beliefs on Devon if its so appalling for him to do the same? We as readers get to choose which parts of Devons work we engage with, but we dont have the right to demand that Devons work always makes us comfortable or match our tastes.
You have no idea what my political beliefs are. I’m not pushing anything. I’m pointing out that if Devon has dedicated their career to understanding and supporting the autistic community, it’s harmful (and unprofessional) to use that platform for unrelated political agendas. Particularly in the explicitly hostile language used in this post.
I have no issue with Devon’s activism. But centering it in their professional life is wrong. My point, I guess, is that this isn’t “Devon’s work”—it’s Devon’s personal interest. I do feel like we ought to be able to engage with Devon’s work separately from their life, and that they should have some sensitivity to the community they serve.
For the record, I’d feel the same way if Devon were engaging in pro-Israel protests with this level of hostility and disregard for fellow human beings. Frankly, I am just trying to protect my own sensitive nervous system from the cruelty both of the war, and of Americans being cruel to other Americans in the name of war, and I come to this page hoping for autism community and it’s just yet more hatefulness and spite.
Even Devon’s reaction to my comment is a case in point. I found their post distressing, and their response was not empathy but sarcasm.
By asking Devon to centre your comfort in his work you have made your political beliefs fairly clear even if you cant see that.
My point is that Devon gets to decide what his work is? Not us as his audience, and thats what we are, we are not a community Devon is ‘serving’ or ministering to. For you to expect personalized one on one compassion after essentially trying to tell Devon what his work is and isn’t… thats wildly entitled behaviour to me.
Liberation of all people is not an unrelated agenda it quite literally is the underlying agenda in all of Devons work. There was nothing hateful in this post, it was a fairly neutral account of Devons experience with the peaceful campus encampments.
Im not American. Your feelings are not more valuable than the feelings of thousands of people killed and traumatized in the name of creating a religious ethno state on stolen land :) hope that helps!
Actually, no. It’s not about me. It’s simple professionalism. I want to go to a publication by a university professor who writes about autism and read about autism. Devon’s personal engagement with political movements is not their professional career; posts like this are inappropriate and alienating. That has nothing to do with me.
There is such a thing as context. In the context of a professional who writes about autism, the feelings of autistic readers should be more relevant than global politics. The war in Gaza does not need to be centered in every context to be validated as genuinely horrific.
And yes, I do feel like I should be able to post a comment without a rude reply from the author. I guess that’s entitled of me?
My work has been anti-professionalism from the beginning. The entire reason I have a publishing career is because of an anti-capitalist essay I wrote in 2018 that connected with millions of people. My work on Autism is proudly, deliberately anti-establishment. Scroll through this substack and you will see article after article about Palestinian liberation, anti-racism, trans feminism, and many other inherently political topics. If you want dry apolotical Autism content you are in the wrong place and you don't understand my work. Try to understand or move along.
Yes—I could not read the whole article because of the paywall. From what I could see, it’s a piece on solidarity?
I agree with that. My complaint here is I believed, based on Devon’s book, was that their goal was to help expand understanding of autism and how people experience it. That is a different goal from social justice work, and while I think an individual can do both, it’s very important not to mix the two.
I can't speak for Devon Price but something that I've been grateful for in his writing is that he raises awareness of different experiences of autism- including the experiences of people from groups that are marginalised in western society. In a world where equality/equity is still being fought for, this can seem quite radical/political.
Some of don't get to "just" experience being neurodivergent, we have ethnic/gender/sexuality/migration/other identities to make sense of too (identities that intersect with wherever we land in terms of our neurotype and identities thay often don't sit well with the mainstream).
Personally, I value the perspective of autistic writers who don't just write (care) about one kind of oppression in the world (oppression due to neurotype).
The medium article I linked to is written from that perspective - the author of that also asserts that they will continue to advocate for all kinds of marginalised groups and also speak out against injustice through their writing (and argues why they do this) while observing that they experience a lot of indignation from some people when they write on these topics (from people who are presumably only marginalised on the grounds of neurotype).
I can see your perspective that you are expecting one kind of writing and it feels jarring to be presented with something else. I think I'm trying to show why so many of us see that there is a bridge between the two even though it might not be obvious to everyone straight away.
Right. My point is that by choosing to speak for/in solidarity with some marginalized groups, you alienate others. If you divide the world into oppressed and oppressors, you are still subscribing to an “us vs them” ideology which excludes people.
For example, I am queer. While queer rights are very important to me, I recognize that there are autistics who may not agree with my understanding of sexuality and gender. I believe they still deserve a place within the autistic community that does not require them to agree with my experience of queerness, so long as they are respectful.
Similarly, I am disabled and mentally ill as well as autistic. There are a wide range of experiences within the autistic community regarding how people view autism, whether it is a condition or a disability, etc. I feel like taking a strong stance on one correct position excludes people who have different experiences.
I won’t even get into Israel/Palestine, except to say that is a nuanced and complex issue.
I think the experience of intersectional autistics is of great importance, and I am thrilled when people write more about that. I would like to write about it myself. What I find jarring is the hostility toward people who hold divergent opinions, and the general attitude that people who don’t conform to a particular viewpoint don’t deserve respect.
If queerphobic Autistics are in the Autistic community, it is no longer possible for me to participate in it. If Palestinian Autistics are literally genocided to death, they cannot participate in the Autistic community. We can't be equivocal or tolerant here. For many of us it would be death.
You are clearly able to compartmentalise your situation in the world in a way that I have no desire to. And maybe that ability will make it easier for you to ignore writing that doesn't fit within your area of interest.
It's been interesting to hear your perspective. Thanks.
Hamas might want to kill you for being gay, but many (most) of the Palestinians would be quite happy for your support. Keep on going. I'm glad for what you're doing, just as a human being.
This was great. Thank you for taking us with you on this experience. Definitely squeezed the water from my eyes!
Also, 🍉
I found this so uplifting. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you for the details, the practical steps, the moments within this moment.
Ismatu Gwendolyn wrote a beautiful piece about Northwestern, alternate title "Grief is the most political thing that has ever happened to me."
https://ismatu.substack.com/p/to-columbias-undergraduates-and-students
Reading this makes me feel sick to my stomach. I bought your books and followed your blog because I felt seen and understood by your writing on autism. Do you not realize or care that not all autistic people agree with your political views? Of course you are free to engage in activism in your personal life, but why do you feel it’s appropriate to push your views on your readers who are here because we are neurodivergent, not for yet another political polemic? It’s professionally irresponsible and hurtful to people in the community you have built your career on.
Better reread the book. Specifically the sections on prison abolition and on Palestinian Autistics being shot by Israeli police. My political views are all over the books that you love.😘
I have only read Unmasking Autism at this point. I have bought the next one.
I don’t recall political content, which means you must have included it appropriately and thoughtfully in the book. That is, provided as context, or biographical detail, not presented as central to the topic of (masked) autism.
As I said in a comment below, your response feels unempathetic and sarcastic. If you care more about Palestinian justice than the autistic community (the whole community, not just the ones that share your identity-values), that’s valid—why don’t you write books about Gaza?
If you are a public figure in the autistic community, you have a responsibility to help make that community welcoming and engaged with autistics of all backgrounds and beliefs.
Autistic liberation is inherently political. You don't get to reap the benefits of decades of neurodiversity activism without giving a shit about other oppressed groups. Get out of here if you don't.
Emmie, I’m curious why you believe its appropriate to push your political beliefs on Devon if its so appalling for him to do the same? We as readers get to choose which parts of Devons work we engage with, but we dont have the right to demand that Devons work always makes us comfortable or match our tastes.
You have no idea what my political beliefs are. I’m not pushing anything. I’m pointing out that if Devon has dedicated their career to understanding and supporting the autistic community, it’s harmful (and unprofessional) to use that platform for unrelated political agendas. Particularly in the explicitly hostile language used in this post.
I have no issue with Devon’s activism. But centering it in their professional life is wrong. My point, I guess, is that this isn’t “Devon’s work”—it’s Devon’s personal interest. I do feel like we ought to be able to engage with Devon’s work separately from their life, and that they should have some sensitivity to the community they serve.
For the record, I’d feel the same way if Devon were engaging in pro-Israel protests with this level of hostility and disregard for fellow human beings. Frankly, I am just trying to protect my own sensitive nervous system from the cruelty both of the war, and of Americans being cruel to other Americans in the name of war, and I come to this page hoping for autism community and it’s just yet more hatefulness and spite.
Even Devon’s reaction to my comment is a case in point. I found their post distressing, and their response was not empathy but sarcasm.
:(
By asking Devon to centre your comfort in his work you have made your political beliefs fairly clear even if you cant see that.
My point is that Devon gets to decide what his work is? Not us as his audience, and thats what we are, we are not a community Devon is ‘serving’ or ministering to. For you to expect personalized one on one compassion after essentially trying to tell Devon what his work is and isn’t… thats wildly entitled behaviour to me.
Liberation of all people is not an unrelated agenda it quite literally is the underlying agenda in all of Devons work. There was nothing hateful in this post, it was a fairly neutral account of Devons experience with the peaceful campus encampments.
Im not American. Your feelings are not more valuable than the feelings of thousands of people killed and traumatized in the name of creating a religious ethno state on stolen land :) hope that helps!
Actually, no. It’s not about me. It’s simple professionalism. I want to go to a publication by a university professor who writes about autism and read about autism. Devon’s personal engagement with political movements is not their professional career; posts like this are inappropriate and alienating. That has nothing to do with me.
There is such a thing as context. In the context of a professional who writes about autism, the feelings of autistic readers should be more relevant than global politics. The war in Gaza does not need to be centered in every context to be validated as genuinely horrific.
And yes, I do feel like I should be able to post a comment without a rude reply from the author. I guess that’s entitled of me?
My work has been anti-professionalism from the beginning. The entire reason I have a publishing career is because of an anti-capitalist essay I wrote in 2018 that connected with millions of people. My work on Autism is proudly, deliberately anti-establishment. Scroll through this substack and you will see article after article about Palestinian liberation, anti-racism, trans feminism, and many other inherently political topics. If you want dry apolotical Autism content you are in the wrong place and you don't understand my work. Try to understand or move along.
Afraid this is behind a paywall but you might find this a useful read: https://medium.com/neurodiversified/without-community-there-is-no-liberation-43595e018c07
Yes—I could not read the whole article because of the paywall. From what I could see, it’s a piece on solidarity?
I agree with that. My complaint here is I believed, based on Devon’s book, was that their goal was to help expand understanding of autism and how people experience it. That is a different goal from social justice work, and while I think an individual can do both, it’s very important not to mix the two.
I can't speak for Devon Price but something that I've been grateful for in his writing is that he raises awareness of different experiences of autism- including the experiences of people from groups that are marginalised in western society. In a world where equality/equity is still being fought for, this can seem quite radical/political.
Some of don't get to "just" experience being neurodivergent, we have ethnic/gender/sexuality/migration/other identities to make sense of too (identities that intersect with wherever we land in terms of our neurotype and identities thay often don't sit well with the mainstream).
Personally, I value the perspective of autistic writers who don't just write (care) about one kind of oppression in the world (oppression due to neurotype).
The medium article I linked to is written from that perspective - the author of that also asserts that they will continue to advocate for all kinds of marginalised groups and also speak out against injustice through their writing (and argues why they do this) while observing that they experience a lot of indignation from some people when they write on these topics (from people who are presumably only marginalised on the grounds of neurotype).
I can see your perspective that you are expecting one kind of writing and it feels jarring to be presented with something else. I think I'm trying to show why so many of us see that there is a bridge between the two even though it might not be obvious to everyone straight away.
Right. My point is that by choosing to speak for/in solidarity with some marginalized groups, you alienate others. If you divide the world into oppressed and oppressors, you are still subscribing to an “us vs them” ideology which excludes people.
For example, I am queer. While queer rights are very important to me, I recognize that there are autistics who may not agree with my understanding of sexuality and gender. I believe they still deserve a place within the autistic community that does not require them to agree with my experience of queerness, so long as they are respectful.
Similarly, I am disabled and mentally ill as well as autistic. There are a wide range of experiences within the autistic community regarding how people view autism, whether it is a condition or a disability, etc. I feel like taking a strong stance on one correct position excludes people who have different experiences.
I won’t even get into Israel/Palestine, except to say that is a nuanced and complex issue.
I think the experience of intersectional autistics is of great importance, and I am thrilled when people write more about that. I would like to write about it myself. What I find jarring is the hostility toward people who hold divergent opinions, and the general attitude that people who don’t conform to a particular viewpoint don’t deserve respect.
If queerphobic Autistics are in the Autistic community, it is no longer possible for me to participate in it. If Palestinian Autistics are literally genocided to death, they cannot participate in the Autistic community. We can't be equivocal or tolerant here. For many of us it would be death.
You are clearly able to compartmentalise your situation in the world in a way that I have no desire to. And maybe that ability will make it easier for you to ignore writing that doesn't fit within your area of interest.
It's been interesting to hear your perspective. Thanks.
Hamas might want to kill you for being gay, but many (most) of the Palestinians would be quite happy for your support. Keep on going. I'm glad for what you're doing, just as a human being.