Well Said!

By Helen Said, diversity and equity advocate, Melbourne Australia   I am a proud older generation activist who embraced 1970s feminism. As a young woman, I did not fit the stereotypes – I excelled in the “unfeminine” field of mathematics, I enjoyed political discussion, I did not want to become financially dependent upon a man and I avoided uncomfortable, sexist fashions. Feminism allowed me to be more fully myself.   It is disappointing to me that some older feminists would prefer not to allow transgender and non-binary people to be more fully themselves. Some feminists have been labelled Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs) because they insist on enforcing the male-female binary onto the entire population. Trans and non-binary people disrupt their particular feminist doctrine. I think we have to embrace an evolving concept of feminism that can make room for more diversity.   Gender non-conforming women in sports Trans women, intersex women and women who fail dis

  By Helen Said, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Autistic Advocate Advocacy has been part of my story for a very long time. It started with Dad's multicultural involvements and the influence he had on my young life, and grew when I attended university and joined the socialist movement. By the time I was diagnosed Autistic, I was 55 years old and I had already been involved in a string of community movements and campaigns, as well as my daughter's early intervention. For me, it was natural to delve into Autism advocacy, where there was clearly a need for more strong and diverse voices. I was born at a very stressful time for my family. They were then refugees from Egypt's 1956 Suez Canal War, living in London.  Dad was a Greek-Maltese British Subject and, as such, his extended family's assets had been frozen during the hostilities between Britain and Egypt. Eventually hostilities thawed and the two counties started negotiating. As Dad was the only man on his

Today I applied for a volunteer position that interests me - no pay involved, just a chance to use my analytical abilities and make a difference to people's lives. What's more, I wrote a new resume, hardly something I expected to need in the year before I reach pension age, but something I was asked to do when I applied for the position. For the first time in my life, I felt free to write a resume that was the truthful story of my life: * No masking of my Autism or political ideals * No repackaging of my traits or experiences  into something an employer is looking for * No dumbing down my interests or intellect to make me look non-threatening to a future boss Of course, most people tweak their resume to fit the position they apply for, but Autistic job seekers are forced to present a completely manufactured version of ourselves, not just in resumes and interviews, but all day every day at work, once we get the job. In a workplace, I am like a dolphin in a bath-tub. I am expecte

By Helen Said, Autistic advocate, Melbourne, Australia Trigger warning- discussion of Autism misinformation How would a newly elected US President Donald Trump treat Autistics? Let's look at the way he treated William Trump, the son of his nephew Fred III. Cutting disabled relative’s health insurance Shortly after he was born, Donald Trump’s grand-nephew, William Trump, was diagnosed with infantile spasms, which could lead to seizures, cerebral palsy or Autism. According to William’s father, Fred III, Donald Trump never visited his critically ill grand-nephew in hospital. Donald Trump’s father, Fred Snr, had intended for William to be covered by his company’s health insurance, but during a family legal dispute over Fred Snr’s will, Donald Trump and his surviving siblings pulled William off the health insurance plan. According to the New Zealand Herald , "When (Fred III) sued us, we said, 'Why should we give him medical coverage?'" the future president

  TRIGGER WARNING - discussion of racism By Helen Said When we migrated to Australia in the early 1960s, we were the only family for miles around who hailed from Egypt. This was the height of the White Australia Policy era. We stood out for having a dark skin, a Greek-Egyptian connection, a mixed ethnic background and for being Catholics in a government school. What’s more, we weren’t unintelligent or non-English speaking, as migrants were expected to be at the time, and some people found this threatening. Many people at Dad's workplace resented him, as a migrant, climbing the career ladder. He copped so much nasty workplace politics that he developed an extra strong heartbeat that kept him scared during the day and awake at night.  In 1964, in grade 1, I was automatically put on the slow learners’ table with the other migrant kids, even though I could read well and speak English. I complained loudly to the teacher who ordered me back to my seat. Realising why I was being tre

EQUITY BEGINS IN THE BATHROOM by Helen Said, Autism and disability rights advocate If we’re serious about equity, we have to provide truly accessible toilet facilities in all public places. Most public places fail to provide for both men and women who depend on incontinence pads or pants, trans men who menstruate, gender non-conforming people who don’t fit the binary labelling of public toilets, people who use self-catheterisation or colostomy products, diabetics, wheelchair users and disabled adults and their carers who need to access change facilities. Men who undergo prostate surgery The above poster, produced by the Continence Foundation of Australia, calls for “Bins 4 Blokes” and asks people to scan a QR code to pledge their support “for shopping centres to put in a bin for blokes”. It spells out the facts: “1.34 million Australian boys and men experience incontinence. If they use incontinence products there are very few places for them to throw them away which may prevent the