These bastards always go after the trans people first.
It’s not entirely accurate to say that ‘fascists always come for the trans people first.’ The Nazis, for instance, developed a deeply horrifying eugenics program that didn’t single out any one group initially, but targeted any population they deemed ‘undesirable.’ (Google ‘T4 Project’ for more info.) Among the first victims were people with conditions we now understand as autism. In fact, the term ‘Asperger’s syndrome’ came from Hans Asperger, a clinician working in Nazi-occupied Vienna who labeled some autistic children as his ‘little professors.’ These were children he deemed could contribute to society and were thus worth saving. This is one reason why many in the autistic community prefer not to use the term ‘Asperger’s’ anymore—it’s just ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) now. If you read the book ‘Neurotribes,’ it provides an in-depth exploration of how the Nazis manipulated narratives of ‘mercy’ and ‘alleviation of suffering’ to justify their genocidal acts, starting with what they euphemistically referred to as ‘euthanasia’ of disabled children. LGBTQ+ individuals, including those we would now identify as trans, were also heavily persecuted, often being wrongfully categorized as ‘mentally ill.’ But these atrocities were widespread and multifaceted, targeting numerous groups concurrently, not sequentially.
I mean, if we’re bringing up specific examples of targeted groups, it’s a demonstrable fact that yes, the queer community in Germany was targeted in the very very early years of Nazi rule. Yes, Aktion T4 was horrifying, but as you mention there are so many groups they targeted, saying “what about these people?” only serves to distract from specific echos of history people should be calling out today.
Some of us are queer AND ND, you know… in fact, most queer people I know are ND in one form or another. An anecdote isn’t data of course, but have you ever checked out, say for example, the prevalence of autism among trans people? These experiences aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.
Your experience is valid, and you’re not wrong at all to feel that advocacy within the realm of mental health has so much catching up to do. That being said, everything you wrote kind of contradicts your first statement. Your own outlook is an “us vs them” conceptualization, I do hope you recognize that (it seems you do) and are working towards breaking out of that. I get it’s not easy to be vulnerable in this way and discuss how you feel in this regard, and you do make some very valid points when it comes to perpetuating harm through outdated methodologies and such, but it really is another discussion entirely.
If an LGBT+ person were required to declare their orientation at the outset of employment just to receive basic decency, the company’s management would rightly face severe backlash.
I’m non-binary, I disclosed this during my interview when I was hired, I wear a they/them pronoun pin everyday, and maybe 20% of my coworkers/employers bother to occasionally gender me correctly. So I kinda disagree with this take, queer people are far from automatically receiving basic decency at work.
I always strive to avoid pitting one group against another, as this divide-and-conquer tactic is a hallmark of fascism.
Your comparison of the state of queer rights and neurodivergent rights in your comment kinda comes off as pitting one group against another, if I’m being frank. The lack of advancement in rights for neurodivergent people is deplorable, but is in no way related to the advancement in rights of queer people. I get your frustration, but directing that frustration to the ones who oppress us rather than towards other marginalized groups feels like it might be more productive.
It’s not entirely accurate to say that ‘fascists always come for the trans people first.’ The Nazis, for instance, developed a deeply horrifying eugenics program that didn’t single out any one group initially, but targeted any population they deemed ‘undesirable.’ (Google ‘T4 Project’ for more info.) Among the first victims were people with conditions we now understand as autism. In fact, the term ‘Asperger’s syndrome’ came from Hans Asperger, a clinician working in Nazi-occupied Vienna who labeled some autistic children as his ‘little professors.’ These were children he deemed could contribute to society and were thus worth saving. This is one reason why many in the autistic community prefer not to use the term ‘Asperger’s’ anymore—it’s just ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) now. If you read the book ‘Neurotribes,’ it provides an in-depth exploration of how the Nazis manipulated narratives of ‘mercy’ and ‘alleviation of suffering’ to justify their genocidal acts, starting with what they euphemistically referred to as ‘euthanasia’ of disabled children. LGBTQ+ individuals, including those we would now identify as trans, were also heavily persecuted, often being wrongfully categorized as ‘mentally ill.’ But these atrocities were widespread and multifaceted, targeting numerous groups concurrently, not sequentially.
I mean, if we’re bringing up specific examples of targeted groups, it’s a demonstrable fact that yes, the queer community in Germany was targeted in the very very early years of Nazi rule. Yes, Aktion T4 was horrifying, but as you mention there are so many groups they targeted, saying “what about these people?” only serves to distract from specific echos of history people should be calling out today.
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Some of us are queer AND ND, you know… in fact, most queer people I know are ND in one form or another. An anecdote isn’t data of course, but have you ever checked out, say for example, the prevalence of autism among trans people? These experiences aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.
Your experience is valid, and you’re not wrong at all to feel that advocacy within the realm of mental health has so much catching up to do. That being said, everything you wrote kind of contradicts your first statement. Your own outlook is an “us vs them” conceptualization, I do hope you recognize that (it seems you do) and are working towards breaking out of that. I get it’s not easy to be vulnerable in this way and discuss how you feel in this regard, and you do make some very valid points when it comes to perpetuating harm through outdated methodologies and such, but it really is another discussion entirely.
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I’m non-binary, I disclosed this during my interview when I was hired, I wear a they/them pronoun pin everyday, and maybe 20% of my coworkers/employers bother to occasionally gender me correctly. So I kinda disagree with this take, queer people are far from automatically receiving basic decency at work.
Your comparison of the state of queer rights and neurodivergent rights in your comment kinda comes off as pitting one group against another, if I’m being frank. The lack of advancement in rights for neurodivergent people is deplorable, but is in no way related to the advancement in rights of queer people. I get your frustration, but directing that frustration to the ones who oppress us rather than towards other marginalized groups feels like it might be more productive.