Blog
AWN Honors Black History Month 2024
Learn more about the four artists and activists we are honoring for Black History Month 2024: Octavia Butler, Sonia Sanchez, Josephine Baker, and Alvin Ailey.
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Day of the Dead in Guatemala and Mexico: Honoring Our Ancestors
Hi, I’m Kayley Whalen, a Guatemalan-American trans and disabilities scholar, activist, and communications consultant for the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network. I’m here to talk about Día de [los] Muertos, or “Day of the Dead”…
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Paid Trans HIV Prevention Study
As a nonbinary trans woman, I know how hard-hit my community is with HIV — with trans women having HIV rates 66 times higher than the general population. That’s why I’m proud to be part…
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A Note to Parents
I started writing about autism and disabilities over 10 years ago. At the same time, I started reading what other disabled people were writing. I met many of them, most of them Autistic. I attended…
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Changelings and the Folk History of Autism
For hundreds of years, children with autistic and neurodivergent traits were often believed to be “changelings,” children swapped at birth for evil fairies or other monsters. Looking back at this folklore can uncover the roots of modern ableism, as well as show us how autism and neurodivergence has always existed. Kayley Whalen traveled to Ireland to create a video about changeling folklore, adapted into this blog.
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Sensory and Communication Tools Deserve Respect
No one deserves to be mocked or punished for using sensory or communication tools. Stim toys, noise-canceling headphones, or other tools should never be withheld from a child or adult just because other people might ridicule them for it. Instead, let’s hold society accountable for ableism.
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An Autistic Woman’s Experience with Sexual Assault
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Being a sexual assault survivor and disabled autistic Latina means I understand at a very personal level the connections between the discrimination my communities face, and how that makes people like me more vulnerable to sexual assault.
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Celebrating Black Trans Resistance
For Black History Month, we’re celebrating Black Trans Resistance by releasing an infographic series on the experiences of Black trans people with discrimination, acceptance, and joy. Join us this month in amplifying issues crucial to Black trans communities and uplifting Black trans-led organizations by sharing these graphics and blog post
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6 Facts about Asexuality and Aromanticism
October 23 – 29, 2022, we’re celebrating asexual and aromantic identities.
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Entrevista con Angélica Vega sobre Justicia Reproductiva por el Mes de la Herencia Latine 2022
En honor al Mes de la Herencia Latine y considerando la reciente decisión Dobbs de la Corte Suprema que derogó Roe v Wade, conversé con una colega latina defensora de la justicia reproductiva.
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Reproductive Justice Interview with Angelica Vega for Latine Heritage Month 2022
Women of color already mistrust the medical system, and now post-Roe v Wade there’s a fear of being prosecuted for reproductive care. Latina disability advocate Angelica Vega discussed reproductive justice and her own experiences with PCOS with AWN for our blog.
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Disability Organizations Respond to the Overturning of Roe v Wade
The decision upends a core value at the heart of American life and law: that we each enjoy the individual liberty to make certain personal decisions without government interference. The very lives of disabled people depend upon the ability to make personal decisions without interference – including decisions about our bodies and medical care.
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