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I'm always kind of wary of narratives of autistic interaction that are like "well, autistic people just aren't interested in relationships, they don't like meaningless social interactions"

Because I think there is a mix of trauma, alexithymia, and false narratives being pushed by literally everyone else that leads to this being the narrative that even autistic people tell when it might not actually be the whole story

Because, like, my mum remembers me being excluded from play by other kids before I have my first memories

We know that allistic kids can tell something is "off" about an autistic kid in seconds and not want to play with them

And we know that some of the methods used by neurotypical kids to bully neurodivergent kids is winding them up - deliberately setting off sensory issues or using frustration triggers that they've identified - and that leads to autistic kids being told "that's not bullying, that's you over reacting"

And this treatment begins very young

So now you've got an autistic kid who's, say, nine or ten, and they don't play with their peers - they sit with a book or on their Nintendo or whatever

And when people (parents/clinitions/etc) ask them "why don't you want to play with the other kids?", you get the combo of knowing that "other kids bully me" isn't believed and alexithymia meaning that they know that the idea of playing with other kids feels Bad but they can't quite put their finger on Why

And when they try to rationally look for an answer, the first one that's likely to come up it's all of the technical aspects of playing with other kids, like not liking small talk because it's "pointless", that come up instead of the trauma

And yeah, I'm wary of perpetuating this narrative as autistic adults that "autistic kids just don't like that kind of play and autistic people prefer to be alone, actually" because it just kind of reeks of the "the other kids only pick on you because you're smart" narrative that absolutely did nothing to help me deal with the trauma of being bullied or lead to healthy relationships in my adult life

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LGBTQ Catholics respond to the question “Why not just leave?”

In an article interviewing Catholics in Pittsburgh. CW for religious homophobia.

‘One of the things [Ken] Pruszynski appreciates about the congregants at Dignity [an LGBTQ affirming Catholic org] is their seriousness about the Eucharist, or the sacrament of communion in which Catholics receive bread and wine to honor Jesus’ death. When he comes to Mass, he seeks a spiritual experience. He finds that at Dignity. “I’m stubborn,” he said, laughing. “Maybe the church left me behind, but I didn’t leave the Catholic Church behind.” He also takes refuge in his sense that local Catholics’ views on sexuality and church doctrines aren’t the same thing. “If it was put to a vote in a city like Pittsburgh,” he said, “I think we would be accepted.” 

Jamie said people frequently ask her questions like, “Why not just leave the church?” She feels “conflicted.” She has had good as well as bad experiences in the church, and she’s a fan of Catholic Social Teaching, a tradition focused on human dignity. Then again, the Catholic Church is aging, and when she’s actually participated in church reform efforts or social action groups, she’s been frustrated.

“There was so much pushback to even the most moderate changes that I just sort of stopped believing that the church wanted to change anything,” she said. At this point, she’s not regularly attending Mass. However — and although she sometimes questions it — she does still identify as Catholic. She’s had a Catholic education. She’s studied Catholic theology. If she feels she’s Catholic, she said, no one has “the right to take that away.” “Like, they can’t unconfirm me,” she said. “The bishop is not any more important than I am.” James Nusser, a 54-year-old Episcopalian who also worships with Catholic congregations, has grappled with his identity as a gay person of faith in several different religious institutions. At one Episcopal congregation where he served as the groundskeeper, a new priest came in and, during worship, fired the LGBTQ members from their roles, preaching that “the gays were an abomination.” He had the landscaping that Nusser had carefully planted and tended, including memorials to deceased members, ripped out. It felt like “my heart was ripped out,” Nusser said. “It took some years to heal.” Nusser has also witnessed homophobia in Black faith communities. Although Nusser is white, his late spouse was a Black man who was HIV positive. Nusser and his spouse would travel to Black churches doing HIV/AIDS education. Some churches refused to have them, Nusser said… Still, for him, the question of whether to forgo faith altogether doesn’t really feel like a question at all. He sees his faith as something that starts not with him or any institution, but with God. “How can any human resist the call of God?” he said. “Once you’ve been baptized and you’ve had that Spirit given to you, it’s not something you can turn away from.”

…When Nusser looks around at churches in America, he senses the fastest growing ones are not LGBTQ-affirming. That’s “the scary part for me,” he said. He sees people coalescing around hate, not love.

If the Catholic Church were to change its stance, he thought, it would surely take decades — probably spanning multiple Popes’ terms. Still he doesn’t think it’s impossible. He offers his own experience with the trans community as evidence. For many years, he was transphobic: “I avoided trans people because I didn’t understand them,” he said. That changed when he got a chance to listen regularly to the stories of people from his church who were going through gender affirmation. “Like, the scales fell off my eyes,” he said, citing a biblical passage. If church leaders would look LGBTQ Catholics in the eye, listen to their stories, and repent for the harm they did, he thinks the church would look different…’

Photo of James Nusser, an older white man with a white goatee sitting outside and smiling at the viewer.

Being Catholic and LGBTQA+ is complicated, but there are resources out there. Wander through my #queer and catholic tag for more posts like this one.

Visit this post in particular for information about LGBTQA+ support within the Catholic Church, including specific ministries.

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Not to sound like a sap but I think we as a society would be so much better off if we stopped constantly assuming the worst of each other.

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Advent Prayer Devotion

God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy, so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Omg I took the Covid vaccine and now my dick looks bigger?? Anybody else experience this?

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i need feminism because when jesus does a magic trick it’s a goddamn miracle but when a woman does a magic trick she gets burned at the stake

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Make sure you take some time for yourself // Instagram / Website

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Hairstyles by Alejandro Lopez (More info: Instagram | TikTok) Click below for more!

Keep reading

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Unmute !

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👀

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Analogueblues

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Not sure who knows this already but 6 months ago, Denver started having mental health professionals respond to mental health incidents instead of police. Some early data:

0 arrests were made among 748 incidents

41% of people were taken to a shelter or hospital

0 incidents were violent

6x a day, police were freed up to work on more serious criminal activity

“Defund the police” materializes through progressive steps like this. We need to pressure more law enforcement agencies to follow suit.

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Prayer for All Humanity. Devotion

Bless us all, 0 Lord, we pray, for loved ones, here and near, and far away. And everyone for whom we pray. Keep us safe each night and day, the homeless who have no place to stay. Those who are suffering in any way. The dying, those mourning or grieving and all who need God's mercy. Keep us safe, Heavenly Father, when we are at home, or travelling on our way, or when we are vulnerable, or in danger in any way. Most merciful Father, hear us as we pray for the souls in Purgatory, or who may be sent there some day.

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exactly