Colin Meloy ‘The Decembrists’ frontman is an ND advocate

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Colin Meloy, front person and principle songwriter for the Pacific Northwest-based indie band The Decemberists, says he grew up admiring artists who were vocal about their politics. Now, as an adult, Meloy says he intentionally uses his platform to speak his mind on issues important to him. Today, that means speaking out about neuro diversity.

“Having grown up in a liberal household with strong Democratic parents who were vocal and active in politics, that spoke to me,” Meloy says. “My son, Hank, is autistic. So, it’s been a real crash course to learn about autism and the autism spectrum when you have a kid with autism.”

Hank was born in 2006 and Meloy eventually immersed himself in research about what, exactly, autism is. And he discovered an important, interesting distinction. For as long as society has recognized autism in the mainstream, there has been a push to “cure” those with the condition. But, Meloy says, this may likely be misguided.

“That really frames it in a negative way,” he says. “But neuro diversity is a way of seeing the autistic brain as just another way in which human brains are wired, that it’s neither right nor wrong. So, rather than looking for a cure for this thing, we should look to accommodate autistic people into our lives and society.”

As a resident of the Northwest and, more specifically, the Portland, Oregon-area, Meloy was privy to the protests over the summer of 2020

“The autistic community, like the disabled community, like the gay community, is pretty traditionally marginalized,” Meloy says. “Finding ways to accommodate and accept these people into mainstream society is a positive thing. And if I have the platform to talk about it, then that’s what I should do.”