Every year, 'Autism Acceptance Month' rolls around, and it feels like a cruel joke. Neurotypicals post their performative nonsense, while high-functioning autistics flaunt their perfect lives. Meanwhile, I’m stuck in this wasteland of alienation and pain.
I’ve been bullied relentlessly—by classmates, teachers, mental health professionals, even other autistics. Every space I try to join pushes me away. Flashbacks of the bullying haunt me daily, leaving me crying and melting down. Society gaslights me into thinking my life matters, but the truth is, it doesn’t care. Autism isn’t acceptable—it’s treated like something that should be erased.
I’m exhausted from trying to survive in a world that feels hostile at every turn. I’m grieving the fact that I don’t belong here, and I’m tired of pretending I’m okay just to keep the few people I have left. I don’t know how much longer I can keep holding on.