Back to Activism!

I've had an Event on the neurodiversity front. I read an amazing, powerful blog post this morning that really struck a chord with me. I commented on it, complimenting the writer and stating how glad I was to know that it wasn't just me who suspected spectrum children were being raised as people pleasers. Next thing I know, Ari Ne'eman's adding me on Facebook.

One of the biggest names in neurodiversity knows I exist. I'm... not entirely sure how to react to that. Sad, I know.

In other news, I finally de-lurked on AVEN today. Why? Because somebody's trying to round people up for some asexual representation at next year's World Pride, and I just had to put my name down. It's too good an idea to not get involved in! I mean, asexuals as a group need to rack up some visibility, and Obviously, I can't be certain I'll be able to make it yet, but seeing as I'm already excitedly planning what to wear, what to take, whether it would be better to fork out for a B&B or join the many cheapskates who'll be crashing on people's floors... well, chances are it'll take some unforeseen disaster to keep me away.

Now, I'm well aware that what I've just said may elicit bafflement from some. A lot of people seem to be quite firmly against mixing asexuality with the rest of LGBT+, but I've personally never really understood that stance. Some people insist asexuality's a 'whole different ball game' from LGBT. This is true, but it overlooks the fact that the 'T' is fundamentally very different to the LGB as well. In fact, I'd say that every letter in the alphabet soup holds it's own unique experiences that will single it out from every other, to varying degrees. Every identity under the LGBT+ umbrella is different, but because they all count as sexual or gender related minorities, they unite. Not perfectly or evenly, or without infighting, but they group together nonetheless, and... I don't see why it should be any different for us. I simply look at it from the strength in numbers point of view: if everyone unites, everyone gets more people and stands a better chance. What's so wrong about that?

Anyway... as far as I'm concerned, I'm going to London next year and it will be awesome. Provided I don't get horrendously lost on the underground, that is. Eep.

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Day 6: Hand-write your favourite lyric and take a picture: 


Well, my handwriting comes straight from the 'drunk spider jumps in a pot of ink and then goes rollerblading across the paper' school of neatness, but if you insist...

Apologies for blurriness. If you can't see, these are the end lyrics of The Dresden Dolls' Delilah. They weren't a clear choice- I have a lot of favourite lyrics, and choosing just one set wasn't easy. To be honest, I probably only settled on these because I was listening to the song a lot that day.

Anyway, why do I love these lyrics? Well, to me, Delilah is one of the ultimate friendship songs, and I'd hazard a guess that most people can relate to it in one way or another. Most of us have been in Amanda's shoes, watching a close friend go on the self destruct despite all our best efforts, and the sheer bloody-minded frustration that can bring is represented in the lyrics beautifully. Amanda childishly insults her friend, expresses disbelief, tells her she'll 'get what she deserves' as though giving up on her... but at the end she still comes back and mops up, because she still cares and nothing Delilah does, no matter how stupid, can change that. Most of us of us have been in Delilah's shoes as well, making a bad decision or falling into a downward spiral that makes whichever friends who are 'in the know' fear for our health, safety, or even life. The Dresden Dolls are wonderful at hitting the nail on the head when it comes to human emotion, and Delilah is one of the best examples of that in so many ways. It's an awesome song with awesome lyrics, and it's taking pride of place here on Day 6.