“Shouting ‘self-care’ at people who actually need ‘community care’ is how we fail people.”
Helpful introductory resources on neuro & gender diversity:
For an introduction to the language of the neurodiversity paradigm & disability justice:
Neurodiversity: Some Basic Terms and Definitions, by Dr. Nick Walker(she/her)
The Significance of Semantics: Person-First Language: Why It Matters, by Autistic Hoya, Lydia X. Z. Brown
Throw Away the Master’s Tools: Liberating Ourselves from the Pathology Paradigm, by Dr. Nick Walker (she/her)
Changing the Framework: Disability Justice, by Mia Mingus
How to Talk About Autism Respectfully: A field guide for journalists, educators, doctors and anyone else who wants to know how to better communicate about Autism, by Mykola Bilokonsky
For an introduction to the language of gender:
The Language of Gender, from Gender Spectrum.
The Basics of Gender, a resource list compiled by ProjectLET’s.
My Resource Lists…
If you are a professional, or a person with access to greater financial resources, and you find the resource lists below helpful for yourself, your colleagues, and/or your clients, please consider a small financial contribution to our mutual aid fund to support my continued time and emotional labor in researching and building resource lists that are available to all.
Mutual aid fund contributions increase our ability to provide financially accessible services to community while providing sustainable wages for our providers, as well as support our office lending library, which features learning and healing resources for neurodivergent and/or lgbtqia+ folks and their loved ones, resources and materials for therapists-in-training, and stories of neuroqueer + trans resistance & joy for all ages!
If you’re a person in need of immediate support:
These organizations prioritize consent and autonomy in times of crisis, and explicitly state in their policies they will not contact local emergency services without consent of caller/texter:
THRIVE Lifeline: offers 24/7 text-based crisis support to anyone 18+ with specific focus on multiply marginalized communities. For Crisis: Text: +1.313.662.8209 For non-crisis related email inquiries: info@thrivelifeline.org
Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860 or text HOME to 741741
These organizations provide support in times of crisis, and their policies indicate they may contact local emergency services on behalf of the caller/texter if determined appropriate or necessary:
The Trevor Project : call 1-866-488-7386 or texting START to 678-678
National Mental Health Lifeline: call 1-800-273-TALK
For support for people experiencing interpersonal violence or stalking:
Virginia Anti-Violence Project's LGBTQ+ Helpline: call 866-356-6998 or texting
804-793-9999
Self-guided resources for support in times of crisis:
Project LETS offers many resources on healing & recovery including alternatives to self-harm, self and collective care ideas, suggestions for processing and supporting traumatic experiences, and anti-carceral ways of responding to mental health crisis.
The Fireweed Collective also offers a Crisis Toolkit, with resources for people in crisis, and people supporting loved ones in crisis, using a consent based approach.
Both Project LETS and The Fireweed Collective also offer opportunities for peer based mental health support.