First off, let me explain what an 'Ally' is. An 'Ally' is a straight person who respects, supports, and advocates for the LGBTQ community and LGBTQ Rights. 10% of kids are bullies. 15% of kids are those who are bullied. The other 75% don't get involved, but they're not important to this discussion. Of that 15% of those who are bullied are a varity of people. Goths, nerds, emos, people with disablities, etc, etc, etc, Aspies and LGBTQ. Like the LGBTQ community, Aspies are a socially stigamitized, misunderstood minority. Many of us Aspies can atest to childhoods of being constantly bullied, 90% if you'd like a figure. Same thing with LGBTQ. The 10% of bullies harass us why? Because we're different. We're weird. Heck, to them, we're inhuman freaks that taint their otherwise perfect, normal world. People hate what they fear. That's why in Greek, 'phobia' means both 'hate' and 'fear'. And the other 75% of do-nothing cowards don't want to stand up for either of us because they're afraid of the shameful label of 'queer' or 'geek' or 'loser' or whatever. I know growing up that's what happened to me. At the time, I didn't know I had Asperger's, but I did know that I was...different. Even as far back as pre-school/daycare, I was an outcast. I am a straight Ally, but I've alway been more 'traditionally feminime'. I played dolls and dress-up with my little sisters. I was quiet, unlike the majority of loud boys. I hated sports and I hated cars. I liked reading, writting, singing, gardening, sewing, and baking, all 'girly' things. I'm shy and passive, and was not (and still not) popular among girls. So the bullies took this all into account and labelled me 'gay' because I wasn't 'manly' like them. I wasn't loud and good at sports and sleeping with every girl I saw like them. (sigh) This is why I hate stereotypes. I didn't even know my gender identity until I was 14 (which turned out to be straight) but I knew that 'gay', since that's what the bullies called me, wasn't a nice thing. As I have observed, due to evolutionary sociological gender constructs, that men will insult another man's masculinity, 'gay' being associated with non-'masculinity'. Prior, I had never given the LGBTQ community much thought. After being called homophobic things for years, I began to realize that nerds/Aspies and LGBTQ were in the same boat. They were scorned for being different. I understood how much it hurt to be thought of as a lesser human being because you are or are perceived to be LGBTQ. So I, as a straight Aspie, felt that it was only right to become an Ally, a supporter of the LGBTQ, because, unlike the rest of the world, they understood what it was like to live in constant fear of being rejected by their peers, rejected by their families, rejected by society because of they way they were. Asperger's is part of who we are. Being LGBTQ is part of the way they are. Some Aspies are both; I know a few. Why should we Aspies condemn others to the same things we've suffered? Neglect? Rejection? Isolation? Hate? Violence? It's not right, and I will not stand for it! As an Aspie, or even as a human being for that matter, you shouldn't either! Who's with me?!
12 Aug 2011, 12:45 am
