#jim sinclair

[snailcheeserulz]

YOU GUYS NEED TO LEARN ABOUT JIM SINCLAIR

They were a neuter, intersex, asexual activist for autism, advocating for an anti-cure perspective. They spoke on how autism is not something you have, like a thing, but part of who you are. There's not loads out there on them, but what there is is super interesting

(They used Toby as an alias in this interview)

^ An article they wrote

I might be being dumb and they're like, super well known amongst tumblr users (cough cough neurodivergent queers), but they're still so cool

[shamebats]

[gowns]

today i learned about jim sinclair, a non-binary intersex autistic person who has also been a disability activist and an advocate for an anti-cure position for autism in the 1980s-1990s

this is an early clip of them on the sally jesse raphael show in 1989 (going by the alias "toby") explaining their personal feelings towards gender and sexuality (more clips of the full show here)

here's a link to their autistic anti-cure advocacy essay "don't mourn for us" (1993)

some of our current framework for these concepts has evolved since then; but it's undeniable that jim helped pave the road for that evolving understanding

[nonbinarynow]

This is Jim Sinclair, at the time going by Toby. They are a neuter, asexual and intersex enban, and a seminal autism activist. They have been an educator on transneutral nonbinary identity, non-binary transition, the anti binarist position and intersex issues for decades. This is an interview with them from the 1980s, talking about their experience as a non-binary/genderqueer person at a time where the community was just coming together.

"In a 1997 introduction to the Intersex Society of North America, Sinclair wrote, "I remain openly and proudly neuter, both physically and socially."

Nonbinary people have always existed, and will always exist. Happy Trans History Week! 💛🤍💜🖤

[alastryona]

what if i cried what then. agender autistic person who sounds like they're probably aroace. I cant figure out when this interview is from but it's long before I was born. My mom would've probably been a kid. We have always been here. We are not new or frivolous. The world has not always been so cruel about us.

This is Toby/Jim Sinclair. I'm watching other parts of this interview now and an intersex (transmasc guy I think) is talking. We Have Always Been Here. And we always will be.

[unrelatedtobears]

I'm fascinated to learn about Jim Sinclair, icon and autism self-advocate, who is intersex, and also something similar to agender and aroace, to use modern language. Watch the video for a more accurate description from their own mouth (Jim is using an alias in the video)

The Wikipedia article is a short read and will be of interest to autistic folks. Jim was apparently important in promoting identity-first, rather than person-first language, as well as working against the idea of needing a cure for autism. They seem badass.

(Edit: I added the links. Apparently I didn’t do it right on first post, so they didn’t show up.)

[neuroscotian]

It has come to my attention that some folks don't seem to know what autistic activist Jim Sinclair (xe/xem/xyr) (left) looks like and are putting pictures of past president of the B.C. Federation of Labour Jim Sinclair (he/him) (right) in its place.

I don't know if xyr is adverse to photographs, because there don't seem to be a lot of pictures of xem online, but these are not in fact the same people.

[autisticarchive]

The first five issues of Autism Network International's newsletter "Our Voice" are now available to read on Autistic Archive!

"Our Voice" may be the oldest publication of the Neurodiversity Movement. It is certainly one of them. It was published back before ANI had their own email listserv, but continued to be published a few years after. It included essays, poems, and letters, mainly from autistic people and cousins, about autism. Some of them are not autism related but still showcase different autistic peoples' interests and thoughts. Some of the issues include discussion of serious topics like sexual assault and there is heavy usage of functioning labels and some usage of the r word. It is still very important history and includes some content that is quite thought-provoking.

Previously, several essays and poems from "Our Voice" were available online, though the actual newsletter they came from was not readily available. It was also more difficult to find them because they were scattered across the internet. This is a huge win for the preservation of autistic history. Much thanks to Dave Spicer for providing the scans. If more issues are found, they will also be added to the site.

[worldisahouseonfire]

i may not have the best words for this, but also: looking for someone to 'blame' for someone being Autistic kind of prefigures the way the Autistic person is as being A Bad Thing Someone Did, right?

like if we're looking for someone to blame, we're never looking for someone to blame for something that just *is*. there's not a big giant research quest to figure out who's to blame for water being wet, or gravity or mosquitos existing, right? generally people either conclude that science or religion is at the core of it and call it a day, but don't donate exorbitant funding and research effort to cure the world of physics or take reality into protective services from the gods.

i also notice a distinct lack of discussions around who's to blame for things like sunrise, or tea, or puppies, or cake. why would we? sometimes the sunrise is annoying because it means a day has arrived full of stuff we don't want to deal with. sometimes tea is too hot, too cold, or over-steeped. often puppies pee on and chew shit. and sometimes cake is too rich or full of things we don't like or pose health risks.

i don't know if any of these metaphors make sense, but: getting caught up in blaming people or things for autism, or trying to fix the source, isn't really dealing with the reality. it's subtly reinforcing the idea that someone needs to be blamed, like a problem with the underlying assumptions & first principles that needs to be talked about.

your mileage may vary, of course. but it feels like something important for me to write about.

“I’ve read a lot about how psychodynamic theories blame and harm parents by attributing autism to emotional disturbance. They don’t harm the parents nearly as much as they harm the victim when they say a child chooses to be autistic.”

—

Jim Sinclair

Just another note on the way parents are always put at the middle of everything.  To the point even autistic people don’t realize that the refrigerator mother theories actually had at their core the idea that autistic people choose to be and remain autistic (as a reaction to our parents, supposedly, but still it’s described as our choice, and I’ve read this stuff firsthand, as well as experienced it at the hands of some really fucked up therapists).  

And that if we are just coaxed to join the rest of the world, or coaxed into loving people, or coaxed into whatever the therapist wants us to do, then we’ll stop being autistic anymore.  And that if we can’t stop being autistic  (which none of us can but some of us can fake, and for every one who manages to fake it they claim a victory) then it’s our own fault and we can be punished for this.  Because it’s all a choice.  On our part.  But I forgot, blaming the parents is the main tragedy here.

Actually, I think it’s horrible that parents were and in some places continue to be blamed for making their children autistic.  My family experienced this firsthand (straight out of Frances Tustin), I couldn’t not see it as a horrible tragedy.  

I just think it’s also horrible that autistic people – who can’t get away from being autistic and can’t get away from disturbing professionals as easily as our parents could – are actually the ones being blamed for our own autism, and nobody bothers to chronicle the results of that ongoing tragedy because they’re too busy remembering how bad it was/is to be our parents in the places/times when that was believed.  

And remember there continue to be to this day people who believe the refrigerator mother theory, including in the USA, and there are still people who see autism as a childhood psychosis, so this stuff is not gone.  Things like this don’t instantly disappear, they just gradually fade out.  Very gradually.  There are still, right now, autistic people being blamed for being autistic, and parents being blamed for making us want to be autistic.  Right now.  But never forget that autistic people are at the center of the whole thing, not just our parents.

Also, remember that even in places where the refrigerator mother theory is truly gone, it’s been replaced with refrigerator autistics.  As in, they’ve stopped blaming our “cold, unfeeling” mothers for making us “want to be” autistic, but now we’re the “cold, unfeeling” ones who lack empathy, love, and all human warmth.  And that’s considered scientifically accurate even though it’s nonsense (and there’s plenty of actual science showing it’s nonsense).

[igotthejob]

this is every fanfic i read

[stevemania]

season 3 remains my literal fav

[morganbritton132]

Steve’s like, “Why is everyone saying I had a weird childhood. I had a normal childhood.”

Dustin: Because your childhood was weird. Hope this helps.

Erica: Didn’t your dad hit you with a car?

Steve: That was one time

Robin, while Steve is making the stop talking gesture: You told me it happened twice

Hopper: Twice?

Steve:

Hopper: Twice?!

[michaelwheelerdefiodental]

There's no question that i hate more than, "Why did they make Will gay and in love with Mike?" Okay, so why did they make Jonathan, a poor, shy, and weird boy, date Nancy, a middle-class, extroverted, pretty girl? Why did they make Lucas, a black boy, date Max, a white girl with a racist brother? Why did they make Joyce, a sensitive single mother who is always worried about her sons, date Hopper, a police chief with attachment issues and afraid to show his feelings to others? And why did they make Robin a lesbian and a friend to Steve instead of a new romantic pair for him, the popular kid? And the list goes on. I swear to God, these people watch the series with their eyes closed.

[bylertruthr]

stranger things text posts because why not

[kennahjune]

Teen Dad

Quite surprised there’s not a lot of these AUs considering how much Steve apparently sleeps around but anywho.

Teen Dad Steve who finds out one of the girls he’d slept with pre-Nancy is pregnant and he damn well intends on helping out however he can.

Turns out; helping means taking his son (his SON) and having full custody because the mom, no matter how much she wants to be involved, can’t take care of him.

Steve’s alright for the first 6 months of little Louie Harrington’s life.

But then his parents come home and shit hits the fan.

Which— fair enough. He was only 17 and already had a whole ass son, they were gonna freak out.

But kicking him AND aforementioned son out? With no where to go? No money? Barely a job?

That’s just fucked up.

But Steve makes do, and lives out of his car for no more than a month before finally landing his hands on a cheap trailer in Forest Hills.

He and Louie move in and sure, it’s rough. But he’s got a nice paying job at the Diner and yeah maybe he has to skip some classes to get extra money but it’s fine. It pays his bills and rent and that’s all that really matters.

It’s fine.

And then the second wave of Upside Down fuckery hits, and Steve’s suddenly in the hospital with a grade 4 concussion (whatever that means) and his top priority is to make sure someone is with Louie.

Enter Claudia Henderson, Dustin’s mom.

She takes care of Louie for as long as Steve is in the hospital and then some when Steve can’t be left unsupervised in case his head worsens.

And that’s how the Party is introduced to little Louie (as they all call him).

Steve’s stunned to find out that Mike and Lucas are so good with little kids, but the two of them love stopping by the Henderson’s (and later on the trailer) to see little Louie and offer to babysit for him whenever.

The other kids take a little bit of time to warm up to Louie (and the fact that Steve’s actually a parent) but when they do Steve never ceases to have at least one of them over.

And with all the racket brings in the attention of nosy neighbors.

Steve is well accustomed to nosy neighbors. Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln next door to his parents were always looking to snitch on him for something or other.

But Miss Bottomette and her grandchildren Noah and Casey were sweethearts. Steve didn’t mind having them over for dinner or going over there. Miss Bottomette was the one to teach him how to actually put his cooking skills to work.

Linda and Tom, a newly married couple down the road, were quite eccentric but that’s what made them charming. Steve found their dog, Dasher, quite the sweetheart.

And even Mr. Knowles, the grouchy old man next door to Miss Bottomette, seemed to take a liking to Steve and Louie.

It wasn’t long before the story behind the new boy in 2718 New Bird Ave was revealed: Teen Dad Kicked Out.

Then the whole town knew. And while most people were nice about it, even supportive of how he had taken a step into his child’s life, there were always those people who sneered.

Steve ignored them, loving the life he was working on making for himself and Louie in the trailer park.

The only neighbors he never seemed to meet, despite the looming presence, were the Munsons, right across the street.

Steve knew about the Munsons. Well— he knew about Eddie Munson; drug dealer who was on his second run of senior year. Steve actually shared a few classes with him.

He’d yet to meet the mysterious Wayne Munson, but that was to be expected with work schedules.

And then Steve was graduating, and his parents didn’t show up.

But that was totally fine. Cause the kids, Claudia, Joyce— even Hopper with El— were there. They held up little baby Louie while Steve walked the stage.

He’d heard rumors of Eddie Munson having to retake senior year for a third time— but he didn’t dwell on it for too long. Because sure, he missed more than his fair share of classes and scraped by with a C+ average.

But he did it.

And then summer hit, Dustin left for camp, and the mall opened up.

Steve picked up a job at Scoops Ahoy, cutting back on his hours at the Diner but still staying there because the money was needed and the tips were lovely.

And he meets Robin Buckley, and actually talks to Eddie Munson every once in a while when he stops in with his band, and lets the kids sneak into the movies because he’ll be damned if he robs them of a normal summer.

And then Dustin comes back and their reunion is short-lived because Russians are hellbent on torching non-existent information out of Steve and he’s busy getting his third concussion and then there’s a fucking flesh monster and Billy and Hopper for protecting them and—

It’s not a good night.

But then he’s rushed to the hospital and he tries to call Miss Bottomette only for the call to refuse to go through and shitfuckgoddammit.

Because what about Louie?

Miss Bottomette said she’d be alright watching Louie until Steve got home, but Steve wasn’t able to go home until someone was able to make time to take him home.

Usually, he’d lean on Hopper for this stuff, since his parents were out of the question. But—

But Hoppers dead.

So he’s stuck at the hospital for another day or two until finally, Claudia comes to pick him up.

He’s with Dustin in the backseat of the car, anxiously bouncing his leg and biting at his fingers and nails until Dustin gives in and just holds his hand. Robin’s there to, having been able to leave after the first night but coming with Claudia to pick him up. Steve’s relieved to have them both close by, even if his hands reach for Erica subconsciously.

His trailer’s empty when he gets home, and Miss Bottomette isn’t answering the door.

Steve’s on the brink of a full blown breakdown before Mr. Knowles— bless his heart— points them across the street.

The Munsons apparently have his son and have for a bit now since Miss Bottomette had a minor seizure and couldn’t be left alone with Louie. Mr. Knowles assured Steve that she and the kids were fine and staying with him for the moment.

Steve wasted no time afterwards sprinting to the Munsons and knocking on the door. Dustin and Robin are close behind him, Claudia waiting patiently in the driveway.

The door is answered by a gruff looking old man that’s taller than Dustin but slightly shorter than both Robin and Steve.

“You Harrington?”

Steve nods so fast he faintly wonders if that’s how bobble heads feels.

They’re let in in no time and the old man— the infamous Wayne Munson— calls out of Eddie.

Eddie Munson emerges a moment later with little Louie in his arms, bouncing softly on his feet to keep the baby calm.

Steve is in front of him in a second, scooping Louie gently out of his arms and into his own.

He doesn’t realize he’s crying until Dustin’s rubbing his arms and Robin his back. Claudia is talking to Wayne, explaining what had happened (or the cover story version at least) and Eddie is hanging back a few feet from the three of them.

Robin takes little Louie in her arms and shoos Steve to the couch to calm down.

“Let him meet his auntie, Steve. You take a minute to breathe now, yeah?”

Steve was led to the couch with a soft hand on his shoulder from Eddie Munson, and they sat side by side while Steve worked on easing his breathing and to stop fucking crying.

Eddie’s shushing him and after a moment (and a clearly pointed cleared throat from Robin) Eddie wraps his arms around Steve’s shaking figure.

They leave the Munsons’ trailer is promises of new babysitters and a new friendship.

And then the fuckery that’s 1986 happens.

.

First Part: