SubstackLeave a comment
Lyric, standing at the edge of a canyon with many beautiful structures behind it. They are wearing orange cargo pants and a black hoodie with lavender and teal text that reads “what sauce would you use to eat the rich?”

The Real-World Impact of Eliminationist Rhetoric on Autistic People

Lyric Holmans

While those in power have attempted to frame finding a cause of Autism (and eliminating it) as a public health goal, for many Autistic People, this type of rhetoric is received as a profound existential threat.

This language is part of a broader pattern where top officials have spoken about Autism (falsely) as a “preventable disease”, focusing efforts on finding a “cause“ and Autism as something to eliminate or prevent (rather than focusing on supporting the needs of existing Autistic People). Continue reading The Real-World Impact of Eliminationist Rhetoric on Autistic People

Substack1 Comment
Lyric, in the door of the travel trailer they and their partner David live in. They’re wearing a black shirt with grey sleeves and maroon pants. In the background is tall pine trees.

Beyond the “Cause”: What the Autistic Community Actually Needs

Lyric Holmans

In recent months, the Trump Regime’s “Make America Healthy Again“ (MAHA) movement’s main conversation around Autism and Autistic People has been about finding what causes us to be Autistic and how to “cure Autism,” or how to “prevent“ future Autism (how to stop more Autistic People from being born). Continue reading Beyond the “Cause”: What the Autistic Community Actually Needs

Masking / Passing
Lyric Rivera, posing in their RV in a neon teal tank top that reads “refusing assimilation into neurotypical society - NeuroDivergent Rebel” and purple constellation shorts. They are smiling at the camera and a black dog is sleeping behind them on the sofa.

“Let Them Choke”: My Rejection of Other People’s Comfort. I Refuse to Be a Bite-Sized Identity. – My Identity Isn’t a Monolith. Stop Asking It to Be & Why I Won’t ‘Stick to Neurodiversity’

Lyric Holmans

The Impossible Weight of Assimilation for People Who Can’t Blend in – Assimilation Almost Killed Me. Authenticity Saved Me. – For Me Assimilation Was a Slow Death. This Is My Rebellion.
Continue reading “Let Them Choke”: My Rejection of Other People’s Comfort. I Refuse to Be a Bite-Sized Identity. – My Identity Isn’t a Monolith. Stop Asking It to Be & Why I Won’t ‘Stick to Neurodiversity’

Masking / Passing, Relationships / Bullies / Friendships, Updates
Lyric, last year, deep in depression, with green hair and a black leather jacket.

Invisible & Drowning: My Negativity Was a Cry for Help – Toxic Positivity Kills: My Year of Being Told to Smile While Drowning

Lyric Holmans

When Your Rock Bottom Goes Unseen – Why Expressing Pain and Discomfort is a Disruption to the Status Quo and What Happens When You Can’t Fake Being Fine
Continue reading Invisible & Drowning: My Negativity Was a Cry for Help – Toxic Positivity Kills: My Year of Being Told to Smile While Drowning

Children & Families, Substack
Young Lyric, who believed they were doomed to hell, dressed as a black cat.

Religious Indoctrination of Children Is Child Abuse: Here’s Why I Won’t Apologize for Calling Religious Indoctrination Child Abuse.

Lyric Holmans

As a child, who was indoctrinated into the Christian faith, but struggled to believe what I was told “was the unquestionable truth,” I spent the first 11 years of my life terrified that I was going to hell (and was convinced that I was a bad person) because I couldn’t force myself to believe in Jesus and the Christian God (who I was told was the ONLY path to salvation and everyone who wasn’t a believer would go to hell). Continue reading Religious Indoctrination of Children Is Child Abuse: Here’s Why I Won’t Apologize for Calling Religious Indoctrination Child Abuse.

Substack
A selfie Lyric took recently. They’re in a black and white outfit and sitting in their RV, with their long hair down and smiling.

Society Trained Me to Swallow My Rage. My Autistic Self Said “No More.” – “Repression = Strength” Was a Dangerous Lie I Believed (Until My Diagnosis).

Lyric Holmans

The Forbidden Feeling: Why My Anger Terrified Me (And How I Made Peace With It) – The Cost of Swallowing Coals: How I Stopped Digesting Anger & Started Living.
Continue reading Society Trained Me to Swallow My Rage. My Autistic Self Said “No More.” – “Repression = Strength” Was a Dangerous Lie I Believed (Until My Diagnosis).