Different and suffering
Those children with autism who identify as gay, bi, or lesbian needs so much support yet are not given it, here is some shocking statistics just on those who identify as gay, bi or lesbian but are not autistic.
SCHOOL DROP-OUT: 28% of gay and lesbian high school students in a national study were seen to have dropped out of school because of harassment resulting from their sexual orientation. (Remafedi, G., Pediatrics, 326-330. 1987) ISOLATION: 80% of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth report severe isolation problems. They experience social isolation, emotional isolation and cognitive isolation. (Hetrick. E.S. Martin.A.D., Journal of Homosexuality 14 (1/2). 25-43. 1987)
VIOLENCE: 45% of gay males and 20% of lesbians report having experienced verbal harassment and/or physical violence as a result of their sexual orientation during high school. (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, ";National Anti-Gay/Lesbian Victimization Report";, 1984)
HOMELESSNESS: 26% of gay and lesbian youth are forced to leave home because of conflicts with their families over their sexual identities. (Remafedi. G., Pediatrics, 79, 326-330, 1987)
HIV/AIDS: Approximately 20% of all persons with AIDS are 20-29 years old; given the long latency period between infection and the onset of the disease, many were probably infected as teenagers (Lehman, M., HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 5(1), 1993)
STUDENT ATTITUDES: 97% of students in public high schools report regularly hearing homophobic remarks from their peers. (Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of Mass. Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, 1993)
STAFF ATTITUDES: 53% of students report hearing homophobic comments made by school staff. (Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of Mass. Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, 1993)
HEALTH ISSUES: 68% of adolescent gay males use alcohol and 44% use other drugs; 83% of lesbians use alcohol and 56% use other drugs. (Hunter. J. et al. Unpublished research by the Columbia University HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, 1992)
DEPRESSION: In a study of depression and gay youth, researchers found depression strikes homosexual youth four to five times more severely than their non-gay peers.
(Hammelman, TL, 1990) (Fact Sheet compiled by GLSEN , New York, NY and Youth Pride, Inc., Providence, RI)
http://www.pflag.com/pages/0022.html#stats
These statistics are scary by themselves very scary however those statistics would sadly be even worse for those who are autistic and identify as gay, bi, or lesbian. I urge everyone here to support equality for all because our brothers and sisters are suffering because they are different and have we all not suffered because of that? No one deserves to suffer, especially because of who.
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When Jesus Christ said love thy neighbor he was not making a suggestion he was stating the law of god.
Oh, you are correct, I live in the south but they are everywhere. I'm just saying that with every new generation, tolerance seems to grow. There will always be someone to shout racial slurs, homophobic epithets, and hateful comments to demean other for simply being born. There will always be the bully to stomp on the weak, the snob to belittle the poor, and the ones who will look in the other direction while it happens regardless of if they do or do not agree.
In the 80's, corporal punishment was handed out in the office, bullying was tolerated and kids settled their own disputes, pocket knives and smoking were allowed on campus, there was no drug awareness education, and nothing was offered to teach children the need for acceptance of diversity. I much prefer the way things are now and see them only getting better.
I think we are headed in the right direction. It is a shame it just takes so long.
In the 80's, corporal punishment was handed out in the office, bullying was tolerated and kids settled their own disputes, pocket knives and smoking were allowed on campus, there was no drug awareness education, and nothing was offered to teach children the need for acceptance of diversity. I much prefer the way things are now and see them only getting better.
I think we are headed in the right direction. It is a shame it just takes so long.
it is getting much better however like you said its a shame it takes so long.
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When Jesus Christ said love thy neighbor he was not making a suggestion he was stating the law of god.
lionesss
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You could not have said it better
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Sorry, but those statistics aren't shocking to anybody who's been through the school system. I'm surprised they aren't higher. I'm guessing Aspies have similar statistics--maybe higher. Being a GLBT Aspie? I'll be downright flabbergasted if there's a single person who fits that description who also went through school without any abuse at all. The only solution seems to be staying in two closets at once. Which is seriously awkward.
Off topic, slightly; it can also be hard to grow up asexual. Not as hard as gay, but... it has its annoyances.
I always used to get teased for not wanting to get married. People thought I was totally naive, and would try to gross me out by telling dirty jokes or asking me whether I had ever had sex. (Back then I didn't have a name for asexuality; I just knew I didn't want to date, or ever get married.) One day some idiot left a dildo on my desk... I remember being dared to kiss people... got my underwear stolen when we changed for volleyball practice... Oh, yeah, and this was at a private school where most of the kids had special needs... actually, I think I can remember only about two kids who didn't... (I was not, in fact, sexually naive. I had studied the basics from my mom's medical textbooks by the time I was nine. Growing up as a teenager, wondering why you don't want to kiss anybody when everybody around you does, you tend to study up on it, trying to figure out what they see in it.)
I'm not sure if other asexual teens have this sort of problem. Gay/bi/lesbian is probably harder; it's probably a great deal easier to have people assume you are some kind of Puritan than to get beaten up for wanting to hold hands with somebody of the same gender. And easier if you're an introverted type, because that means you don't particularly care about the public perception of being "cold" or "prudish".
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I'm asexual also (someone else? yep. I'm surprised that more people 'fess up...), finding that out after being pushed into a "How Straight Are You?" test - zero sexual attraction. In the words of an asexual guy over at the forums I mod, "I can appreciate beautiful women like I do elegant clockwork."
I've had my nose in a book or newspaper for my entire school career, so I didn't really go through this, as I never really bothered to pay attention to the "public opinion".
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Everyone's trying to think outside the box, but how am I supposed to get in?
I have a BIG problem with this word "tolerance" used in this context, tolerance implys that you " put up with or tolerate" differences..

how about acceptance or understanding rather than tolerance.. which implys no understanding .. no acceptance, just putting up with.
I find this is a word that is used in the US a lot .. and I think maybe consideration to the meaning of "Tolerance" should be given and if consideration is given to the meaning and you do not agree with it .. then perhaps replace with " acceptance"
Sorry to be pedantic.. but this one really bothers me.
*Raises hand* Also asexual here! I didn't get it nearly as bad as you did, Callista. All the same, however, I did have rumors spread about me vis a vis my sexual orientation (since it's totally impossible to just not care about that or anything ), did get told to kiss or ask out someone who supposedly liked me, and just dealt with general disbelief, questioning and dismissal for my disinterest in anything besides platonic companionship. Thankfully for the most part this has gone away in college, but middle school and most of high school was incredibly awkward that way.
Maybe it's because I'm just outside of this whole system, but I don't see the point in deciding who is a better person based on who they want to sleep with (or not). As long as they're not forcing it on anyone, hurting their loved ones through sex or spouting off too much information to anyone within earshot, it makes no difference whatsoever. It's more important for individuals to be happy in non-destructive ways than to observe pointless taboos made by other people with no understanding or stake in the matter.

how about acceptance or understanding rather than tolerance.. which implys no understanding .. no acceptance, just putting up with.
–noun 1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
Well I have two points of view on homosexuality
My personal point of view: Well, if men were supposed to be attracted to men and women were supposed to be attracted to women, we wouldn't really have men and women would we? What would the point be. Other animals that are attracted to the same sex, have no other sex to be attracted to. So I personally don't understand homosexuality
Universally though, I respect the fact that people should first of all, have the right to happiness as long as it doesn't interfere with someone else's life. Whether we understand homosexuality or not, it is just plain cruel for us to treat them like garbage and push them out of society. Would you like it, if say, the tables turned one day and the heterosexuals became persecuted? It especially pains me to see other religious people show hatred and anger toward homosexuality. I agree that we need to put aside our differences and work toward making the world a better place for everyone to live in. Homosexuals should have equal rights as everyone else, end of story.
–noun 1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
I don't think in acceptance that you are saying that you want to do the same, just that it is ok. The difficulty with the word tolerance as quoted above from my point of view implys a standing of higher morals or taking what is perceived as the higher ground but " permitting " someone else to do something else or be something else, rather than seeing the validity in what they are doing or who they are and accepting that different does not mean lesser.
I would be upset if my son with multiple disabilities was " tolerated" as opposed to accepted in his school for example.
and claire, you did not upset me at all ( promise ) .. just something I notice when I see it used in that context.