Facebook Needs to be Held Accountable For Their Role In Covid-19 Deaths

I am so angry. I want to start off by saying I hate facebook. I deactivated my accounts last year and had no intention of getting back. Late December, I was hearing news about a doctor being silenced in China for his warnings over a virus which prompted me to reactive my account to help inform my friends and family as I’m a medical nerd. I didn’t want my friends and family to die or suffer losing their loved ones too and sadly that’s the reality we are now living in.

What I did not expect, was Facebook to shadowban and suspend my account for any covid related posts from January until late May. Posts were rampant of “it’s just the flu” and “masks don’t work but anything that was even just medically backed sources and information was hidden by Facebook.

One of the many posts of mine that Facebook hid

The above image is just one of the many posts that were flagged and removed or hidden by Facebook. It took them 3 days to overturn their decision after my dispute and by then it was too late and I was already shadowbanned to where nobody was seeing my posts. To see so many people I care about now suffering when I tried so hard to be informative and warn people hurts my heart so much. To watch so much needless suffering and know that I TRIED ehile places like Facebook actively silenced people like me… while they sat back allowing blatant disinformation to be spread on a mass scale.

Doing this left many people uninformed and because of this unable to make proper decisions. Would the same amount of people still be partying or insisting they’re going to have a “normal Christmas” next month if places like Facebook took more of an educated and appropriate stance on their responsibility with disinformation? My stance was formed based off of medical personnel and medically backed information and only turned into more political when the president came out and said “cases would be back to 0” and “it’s similar to the flu” when the US first started getting cases. So many unfortunate people and events had a negative impact on civilian response across the world and Facebook was one of the major catalysts that encouraged it to happen. No more excuses. Hold them accountable.

I’m Autistic and Recently Got Diagnosed With ADHD In My 30’s

This is more of a rambling blog, so I apologize if it’s a bit more scattered and less planned out than my previous blogs. In January 2020, I was also diagnosed with ADHD… 3 years after also being diagnosed with autism as an adult. The process has been drastically different for me with the ADHD diagnosis compared to autism and I’m still internally trying to figure out why.

So the ADHD “test” I took was awful. Not like getting a shot or covid test awful but I had to click the mouse each time a certain pattern, image, or sound appeared… Easy enough, right?? Well, then they start adding obstacles like opening the door so you can easily hear people walking by with their loud shoes or talking amongst each other, having other monitors on next to my computer, etc. Just every day distractions that I didn’t realize I’d learned to tune out through years of school that faded away in adulthood which really had my ADHD flashing like a neon sign. Leg bouncing for stimming. Looking around and memorizing the assigned numbers on all the computer monitors, checking the clock, and getting increasingly frustrated with each wrong answer.

When I was diagnosed as Autistic, I took a few weeks to process and looked into it before disclosing it to my husband. I was so ignorant about autism and so much information available through basic google searches mainly brought up autism perspectives from neurotypical parents/caregivers and only made me feel even worse about my diagnosis. It was when I finally disclosed my diagnosis to friends that I was able to get some sound advice especially from others I didn’t realize were autistic. I didn’t realize they were autistic because what little I knew about autism before the diagnosis was absolutely wrong. I reached out to other Autistics and watched other autistic advocates relay things that were reassuring, beyond helpful, and gave me hope.

Sadly, I have not been able to do the same for ADHD. It’s not that I feel bad about it or see it negatively… But it seems there’s very little information available. (Shout out to the creator “black girl lost keys” for really being a positive anchor in navigating this secondary diagnosis). I feel way more blind and lost and it’s difficult for me to figure out how being autistic and ADHD impacts me and in what ways. Sometimes they overlap but I also feel like they also don’t always and that’s what makes it difficult.

Again, I’m not disappointed but relieved for this diagnosis… But I feel like I’m flying blindfolded trying to navigate this. I also, admittedly am disappointed there wasn’t more available resources when I was growing up or the whole wave of “adhd is fake” and the anti-ritalin rhetoric didn’t help me in school or with friendships… It, in fact, directly negatively impacted me because parents in general were skeptical of adhd diagnosis’ then because they claimed it was “people just drugging their kids instead of letting them be kids. Kids are just hyper in general and need to burn off energy”. (That take on ADHD is so WRONG but a major topic in the mid 90s). I feel like there’s a fraction of the informative resources available for adhd individuals even compared to autism, which again is mainly flooded with perspective from non autistic people.

ADHD does explain why I have the INTENSE special interest aspects of autism but they’re short lived before it’s onto the next thing. For example, I’ll get super hardcore in love with a show or musical artist and usually within a couple of years at most before I’m super into another thing… And not that I hate what I was into it’s just not as intense as before. Things like this always made me feel “less autistic” when talking to other Autistics and to not only have an answer but to speak or listen to others who share these experiences have benefited me so much.

I encourage anybody who is adhd and/or autistic and is considering being an influencer, activist, or advocate to do so. Our voices, our experiences, our point of view from the eyes and minds of the neurodiverse should ALWAYS take priority in educating and information on these conditions because they matter. The internet is our megaphone to be heard and it will benefit others like us and the parents/caregivers of us too. Medical professionals need to start listening to us too because our experiences can educate them and improve the lives of Neurodivergent people and the neurotypical society we are trying to navigate and survive in.

Things I Experienced During Major Weightloss Nobody Told Me About

Sorry it has been so long in writing again. I’m sure everybody would understand when I say things have been hectic and I’ve been busy. I wanted to dodge political discussion with this post as I believe america needs to have a “come to Jesus” talk with themselves and do some emotional healing.

I never thought I’d lose weight. I was on the edge of 400 lbs and struggled to keep gaining under control despite following a dietitian and had a physical fitness instructor who were left baffled. My only option, according to my primary doctor at the time, was to have a surgery I couldn’t afford. It was soul crushing and I felt defeated after 3 years of actively trying hard to lose weight, enduring 12 miscarriages, and in the final stretch of my 20s and felt my life clock ticking away. I even donated my old “skinny” clothes just before actually losing weight, thinking I’d never fit in them again.

I thought when I lost weight, it’d stop the remarks about being fat. I was surprised to find out that I lied to myself. Once I lost enough weight to not be morbidly obese, the remarks came about how small I was and would question my weightloss in attempts to drag me down. Comments like “I doubt you actually went to the gym or did anything physical to lose the weight” or “you might have cancer losing that much weight that quickly” (it’s been 5 years and I’ve lost over 150 lbs. Not sure how that’s drastic when you’re almost 400 lbs especially since basically the first 50-75 lbs dropped really quickly in comparison to the rest. So don’t expect the insults to fade. You might get more strangers to smile at you or hold the door open for you but the insults don’t go away. People will find ANYTHING to bring you down if it’s in their character or nature to do so… So please make sure you’re losing weight for YOU because you deserve it and not out of praise or pride from others.

Losing weight is incredibly itchy. Areas like my arms, thighs, and stomach have been incredibly itchy since losing weight. Like, Ive clawed myself up bad scratching because the itch is so intense. I noticed this symptom increasing after losing a chunk of weight or dropping water weight during menstruation or ovulation. I had no idea my skin trying to heal from being so far would be so itchy and uncomfortable. It almost became a major deterrent when I hit 75-100 lbs lost because it was so intense… But I used anti itch cream and steamed through that too. So don’t suffer with side effects to better health, it’s okay to use things to help relieve the itching!

The mental work you have to put in is just as intense if not more than the physical work. For me, I had a lot of mental issues and trauma that was severely neglected or ignored and kinda swept under the rug throughout my life. It was easy at one point for me to just ignore bad things and truck on… But I didn’t realize that eventually I would have to face and deal with it anyway… I’d I had known I would’ve dealt with it sooner so it hadn’t been subconsciously tearing me apart for 25 years. I experienced suppressed memories that began to play like an old movie in my head… And they were so disturbing I had to ask my mom if there was any reality to it, which sadly there was. I’ve had to find a counselor I like that listens to me and cares about me and my needs as much as I do or wanna learn to do. It’s okay to change doctors if yours isn’t working for you, that’s not saying they’re a bad doctor, counselor, psychologist, etc .. because you’re needs are based on finding someone emotionally and mentally compatible for you so you’re comfortable opening up and tackling past and current mental health conditions and trauma. Every major thing I tackled emotionally, was in line with my weightloss and I can’t deny that I benefitted from taking care of my mental health as much as the physical aspects.

Lastly, I encourage everybody to take time to learn to appreciate themselves. I had no idea what I’d physically look like losing weight. Im much more hourglass shaped than I had pictured and I’ve had to accept and appreciate my body naturally and not in comparison to bodies I found attractive or thought I could strive for. I’m still learning this aspect myself but I’ve also come a long way and I can recognize that and appreciate it. Almost every single person on this planet wishes they looked different or had different features.. some of them may be features you personally don’t like about yourself. The world is hard enough don’t be another aspect in your life that’s hard on you too. I was a toxic miserable asshole in my early 20s and prior. I cringe anytime old posts of mine show up in the dreaded “memories” section of Facebook but I realize that’s probably a good thing and is something I can easily observe and appreciate.

No matter what weight you are, strive to be and present what you want. Embrace yourself. This post isn’t to degrade plus size people either. I, personally, was incredibly unhealthy and often hospitalized for minor ailments because my weight impacted me so negatively. It was best for me to work on losing weight. I will probably never be a gym rat or have abs but I absolutely want to be healthy and be around as long as possible for my son, husband, dogs, and myself. For the first time in my life, I want to live as long as possible when from childhood until late 20s as I was growing up, I expected to be dead by 30. Don’t let things get in the way of your health and, again, do it for you because you deserve health and happiness.

Trumpism- The Political Virus

I see so much about politics these days, especially on social media. Most of it is hate because people can say what they want because a screen  is removing the emotional connection that we feel when we are conversing with people face to face. I was raised in a conservative house but those that know me today know that if they had just met me, they would’ve never guessed. I talk about my father as if he has passed away, unintentionally, but the reality is, due to trumpism he has. 

I was raised with 2 other siblings who had more needs than I did. I was fairly independent and stuck to myself. This environment enabled me to become a well played liar. I could hide, destroy, cover up enough evidence that eventually I got away with a lot to avoid punishment afterwards. This went on into my mid teens when my dad became more involved and once he realized the level of my lying, he had to act firmly to help me recover. It was long stressful arguments. Him questioning me and it getting to the point where it caused a drive between my parents. He then would question me, let me give an answer, and then investigate himself. No matter how slick I thought I was he EVENTUALLY always found out. Always. Time and Time again he would catch me in lies that I normally would’ve gotten away with. He could’ve ignored it and it would’ve been easier, absolutely.. but it wasn’t in my best interest. He also handled how he dealt with me as he also understood in the same breath that I was a product of my environment and punishments changed to lectures. I was addicted to lying and coping skills to avoid trouble and instead of being spanked or grounded he’d give me 3+ hour lectures about the importance. I felt like someone was treating me like an actual human being and like someone saw that I WAS smart enough to grasp the concepts and needed a new way to be taught the lesson… and it eventually worked. 

It was hard not to lie, especially as I was early in recovering from my lying and people had a hard time believing me even when I was honest. After a few years of it and appreciating the relief of brutal honesty and not having to remember all the pieces to try and cover the lies, I went through some horrible things by a man and I was not believed and didn’t even feel like I could defend myself on the injustice because of my past.. I had been a liar and I didn’t blame them for not trusting me and it was the final nail in my coffin for lying.

Today, the man I once respected and admired for being the stubborn force behind my recovery is gone while he physically remains here. This man is an admirer of Trump, watching/attending rallies level. Anything that comes out against trump is a “political hit job” to my dad now and anything can be easily dismissed and disputed by that and that alone. If no other defense works then he has the comfort of always falling back on a defense. How can he see my defenses and cover ups but not even take a glance at anything else towards trump or any conservative politician under the same magnifying glass he does for Democrats? Is it just about winning at this point? 

To be clear, I believe my dad is still in there. However, I believe that he has been persuaded to a mindset of living in such fear and feeling like he, personally, is being attacked that it has engulfed him to be who he is now. I feel guilty for not having the patience that my dad did for me but as of right now, I am alone. Though there are those around him that disagree with him… they, for their own reasons, cannot speak up and out to him. He’s surrounded himself by like-minded people on Facebook and other parts of the internet and I fear what is to come. A hyped emotional human mind living in fear is a scary thing and can quickly tiptoe their way towards being Christian versions of the extremists from around the world they claim they’re afraid of before they realize what they’ve become.

I was in disbelief when a doctor told me I had shot up to almost 400lbs. I told them their scale was broken and tried to cling to that being a possibility before accepting that I neglected my thyroid and health and it’s taken me 5+ years to reverse the damage and still going.  You’d think with buying bigger clothes that I would have noticed gaining almost 200 lbs but it happened so invisibly to me that I couldn’t see it and I think some of it was I didn’t want to. I laugh about it now but I truly was in disbelief and the things I came up with in an attempt to convince myself I wasn’t almost 400 lbs, like dispute what the scale said, was ridiculous especially to everyone but me. I even remember going on Facebook and asking what the chances were a scale could be off. The entire experience opened my eyes to show how quickly I could fall into a similar cycle in other aspects of my life, including politics, and having been working and figuring out how to combat this. 

The last part of this is acceptance. I’ve had to accept that my dad does not have the same experiences as I do and is probably flying just as blind in life as the rest of us. He may not have the tools or experience to look at himself or life the way I do and I cannot fault him for that. We do not speak these days but it’s due to many factors way beyond politics and I’m hoping someday we can figure out how to communicate. I had to accept my weight before I could begin to change it and I also had to accept that someday I could gain it all back again BUT I am confident that I have enough experience now that I can and will recognize it before I spiral that bad again or at least be willing to hear what’s being said by those around me who are important enough that I’ll value what they have to say and help me through it, even if I can’t see it in that moment. Just like my food addiction, trumpism can be just as addictive and appealing to some and it is important that, if things that are factual and can’t be disputed, we face them and have the balls to say it’s wrong even if it’s against the people we believe in and support. 

The (Rise And) Fall of a Doormat

I feel like I’ve always been fairly hyper aware of those around me. Just off of saying a couple of words I could tell before finishing my sentence whether to change what I was going to say to something more favorable. I would even play dumb despite knowing an answer even at an extent so that the one who came to me with their info or fact didn’t feel dumb or like they weren’t offering me something valuable knowledge wise. I can’t think of a time where I existed and put myself and/or my needs before someone else or theirs. (I probably have but I cannot recall it)

I know some of the contribution was my siblings. There was much emphasis on how “normal” my parents saw my vs my siblings and their needs always came before mine. It was easier for my mom to get me to give my sister a toy to stop her from throwing a fit than it was to put effort in teaching her patience in that moment. My mom was lead to believe she had to develop more to understand those concepts so those life lessons were thrown on to me despite being younger. (as I’ve always said but feel like I need to say, I’ve grown past my experiences and I’m not angry that it happened, my siblings, or even my parents. They made mistakes but I genuinely believe they thought they were doing the best they could in most aspects but knowing that doesn’t also nullify my right to speak about my experiences in hopes it could make a situation better for someone else). Even my schooling suffered from the various appointments and procedures my siblings have had (it was already suffering though, as mentioned in my education blog). I remember struggling to make and keep friends as a kid and I remember some of the excuses I received then I was “too pretty, too kind, too smart” but these weren’t sound reasons for me as a child. I even got thrown into karate in 5th grade cuz the bullying was so intense for so long without standing up for myself at all. It took til the last day of 5th grade to stand up for myself and the beginning of me no longer being a doormat.

Standing up for myself was just a stepping stone though and once I navigated having people from physically attacking me, I began an almost 20 year journey into emotionally standing up for myself and that has been quite a chore. The way I grew up in my house was parents were in charge, dad works and pays the bills so anything he says, fair or not, goes. There was no time for explaining sides and most explanations were just “excuses”. Being outspoken makes you a trouble maker, a bitch, and rude in my family so falling in line is essential to being accepted and loved (and what I thought was respect). Emotions mean nothing and any reactions based off of emotion are frowned upon and punished and one of the things that lead me into believing crying was weak until I learned that it was a normal human emotional response and nothing to be ashamed of. Even when my son’s biological grandfather was sexually harassing me (and attempting assault), I was forced to apologize to HIM by my father who I called for help and ended up forcing him to move out my home.

Ever since I moved out my parents house a second time (moved out at 20 the 2nd time), I’ve not asked them for anything outside of sending any mail I get there down this way and I’d paid for it. I was the only relative who has and will pay full price on auto repair without asking for a discount. I’ve handled everything on my own and now that I’m in my 30s, I’ve realized a lot. Things like asking me who I voted for and being pissed off when it’s not their candidate, is not respect. (I was over 25 at that point too). Only getting involved in disagreements if my siblings have an issue with me, is not respect. Preaching to me about making sure not to bad mouth my son’s father in front of my son but turning around and talking shit to my son about me is not respect.

For so long there was always a reason for something. “You’re choosing to feel ___ way cuz you took what I meant differently” or “that’s how you interpreted it” or “okay you can be mad but saying something about it is an issue” and constantly being accused of “going to beat someone up” were all used to belittle me and take away the power I had over myself. It’s taken me so long to not only understand but appreciate myself and these emotions. It’s always healthy to make sure you’re expressing yourself in a healthy manner. It is beyond harmful to feel shame for feeling these emotions and it is unproductive and unhealthy to not love yourself enough to let you express and process these emotions. It’s imprisoning and you constantly feel shame and guilt for expressing anything even too much “joy” because you don’t want that joy to make someone else feel bad.

It is okay to want to shield your loved ones from every bad thing you wish you could avoid for them but it is not okay to do it at your expense… Plus, shielding them from too much keeps them from experiences (even the bad) that are sometimes necessary for us to grow. So please, if you are hard on yourself especially emotionally, stop. You’re not going to stop overnight and it takes a lot of work, mistakes, and forgiveness (mostly to yourself). In this journey, I have expressed myself poorly and probably still do at times… But nobody is perfect and as long as I can recognize that and grow from the experience, those that will love me and forgive me too. Being more firm in myself and my beliefs has lead to losing some relationships in my life, some I spent so long do everything I could to avoid ever losing them. I was nice to people who didn’t deserve it in hopes they’d change or id be liked and let me tell you first hand, it won’t work. Anybody who’s got anything negative to say no matter how hard you try to say the right thing are ALWAYS going to have something negative to say so you might as well not emotionally pummel yourself for them. You don’t have to be an asshole either, there’s obviously positive and negative ways to stand up for yourself… But trust and know yourself to keep your intentions in mind and keep your love for the person your speaking to in your heart… Even if you’re mad at them. If they are upset, don’t hesitate to reassure them that you love them and you want to work this out but you need to feel like you’ve been validated and respected too.

I’m still working on being assertive. I’ve spent so much energy on being a peacemaker that I’ve noticed it’s been challenging with my tone when I’m saying something. There’s a lot of frustrations and when I’ve said something 100+ times, it makes it even more so that by the 101st time I’m blunt and more firm than I normally would be. It’s still not wrong but it’s not how I want to handle my loved ones especially those that haven’t done me wrong. My goal is always to work shit out in a healthy and respectful way to involved parties but I’ve also learned what peace is if I don’t… And it’s still new but it’s so freeing.

My Public Education Experience

The title says at all as I’m a good example of why the United States public education system is a joke. Being autistic and ADHD in the 90s and being undiagnosed was such a weird time mainly because accurate information wasn’t out there and then there was the “Ritalin epidemic” which probably only hindered my opportunities at being diagnosed. I had so much to navigate and little to no support… How did I make it to 31 safely and seemingly turned out okay? How did Autistics before me and/or less privelaged than I manage? It’s a lot to think and worry about especially when you consider things aren’t much better today.

The first day of school. I remember watching kids shows and seeing commercials where kids looked excited to go to school and was excited to go. I had been in preschool but it wasn’t even for 1/2 a day and I was home, which was the schedule I expected and seemed okay with but boy was I wrong. We tackled the letter “A” of the alphebet people the FIRST DAY. I can remember trying to join in on playtime with others like playing house but they didn’t like me playing the dad, tried playing with Dino’s and trains with the boys but my calling out types of dinosaurs lead me to be asked to leave that group too. By the end of the day, I was at my desk drawing by myself and little did I know then that this establishment of where I was going to be socially in school.

A couple years in only got worse. I was sick a lot from ear infections and sinus stuff which sucked but got me out of school. I hated school already by this point and embraced feeling shitty to go home and get away from the hell that was school. Different kids and different teachers never helped which only told me the problem was me. I didn’t do well in school. I can remember being requested to be held back in first grade and My parents refused for reasons I can’t remember. Teachers would say things like “she draws on her work too much. It’s messy. That’s why her grade got knocked down”, “all she wants to do is daydream. She never listens to anything I have to say!”, “She goes to the beat of her own drum.”….. I hated that one. Hated. I didn’t want to go to the beat of a different drum. I wanted my drum beat to not make me so different for adults and other kids to say things. By 2nd grade, I was sitting against the wall just drawing while everybody else played. I had tried to play many times but it resulted in being made fun of until I cried (calling me fat, stupid, and scary) and pushed off of playground equipment until it knocked the wind out of me. After enough times, I’d gotten the message that I was different and not welcome and to avoid that, I did my drawings against the wall during recess. I was always drained and tired and wanted to go home but couldn’t.

I got into comics a little bit. There were a couple of other kids against the wall as well for either in trouble or were just reading. I remember being shown comics like spawn, spiderman, and X-Men. I REALLY gravitated to the X-Men and felt like I looked like mystique to everyone else but when I looked in the mirror I looked normal. How they fought to be included and ACCEPTED and it really set the groundwork for me accepting my undiagnosed young autistic self. Wolverine was one of my favorites and loved the name Logan. Nightcrawler was my all time favorite.

I made my first group of real friends in 5th grade. People that I didn’t have to force myself to play dolls with or be directed by other kids in play. We just genuinely hung out and had similar interests. “This is what friendship should be” I told myself after not having that experience before. Some kids were nice to me in my younger years but I think ditched me to keep their place in kid elementary society. I don’t blame them either. They were just kids like I was and there were times I did the same thing until I figured all of that out.

While socially I was doing better than I had at that point, my grades were worse. I was officially not passing instead of just getting D+’s and at best was getting a D-. I had dragged on through the system for 4 years. My mom got me a tutor and I’d spend HOURS after school doing homework to try and catch up and pass. It was hell for everyone involved but especially me and my mom. It got to a point where she’d end up doing 90% of the assignment because it dragged on and I was already drained from school and didn’t have it in me to continue after school to do more schoolwork. I ended up barely passing that year. A D-. I should’ve been held back but I wasn’t. This same year, I had the worst bully of them all and started having black out spells (ended up being absence seizures but didn’t know until adulthood either). This bully would use my seizures as an excuse to volunteer to be my bathroom partner Incase I had a seizure in the bathroom. She’d copy my work which contributed to my bad grades (either we got caught cheating and both got in trouble, I’d purposely give wrong answers cuz she was cheating, or eventually gave up and didn’t care to do the work because of the above scenarios). When we dissected things she would take the knife and cut my legs under the table with it. My mom was constantly in the office bickering with them about doing something about this girl because she was so brutal to me. Nothing was done by the school system and on the last day of school she was messing with me at lunch and I told the lunch lady and we both got sent to the office… Which was a huge mistake but this time, it wasn’t in her favor. She grabbed the big gymnasium door as I was walking through and pulled it against and on me, squeezing me between the door and the frame. I was DONE. After a whole year of no one protecting me or helping me, instincts kicked in and I leaped onto that girl and started hammer fisting and punching her face. The next thing I remember is being dragged into the office by 3 teachers treating me like a wild animal along the way and scolding me.. until we got to the office with my mom who just so happened to be talking to the principal about this girl AGAIN.. saw me and saw her face and said to the principal “this is what happens when you ignore a child being bullied for an entire school year. And if my child gets in any trouble for this after everything she’s been through this year, we can have at it in court.” And I never heard a word about that scenario or that girl the next year in Jr high or ever again

I don’t remember much about my first year of 6th grade outside of one of my oldest friends. We met because I was drawing a Pikachu in math class. I had caught mono really early on in the year and was really sick that whole school year. Even after 6 months I could only do half days and I think with school being draining for me as it already was while still recovering from mono, I drained super easily. I had missed so much school they weren’t even taking doctors notes. Luckily, my parents were moving and we were getting out of the city and into the country. It was the perfect opportunity to be held back and I’m so glad my parents finally agreed to do it. I shouldn’t have been excited it for it but it had been so long of me falling further and further behind, I knew I needed it.

The next year of 6th grade repeated was the best school year yet at that point in my life. I made sure to be more outgoing in this school system so hopefully kids wouldn’t hate me so much. I also started actually passing classes and getting a couple A’s! Still got some D’s but it was mainly B’s and C’s which REALLY boosted my confidence after having D’s for so long. Due to missing so much school the year prior and moving to a new district, I never learned cursive as they had learned cursive already in 5th grade. Luckily, I’ve never ever used or needed cursive so I’m so glad I didn’t needlessly learn that.

The rest of Junior high was fine. I loved art and my art teacher was probably the best teacher I’ve ever had in my life. Our last year of Jr high, a student had committed suicide and it is an understatement to say it affected the entire school. Unfortunately, due to my home life and being taught emotions are bad, I didn’t handle this properly. I shut down and couldn’t even verbalize half the time. I couldn’t cry despite wanting to. I had my mom was there for me but when my dad calls my friend who’s just passed away a “pussy”, I wasn’t allowed to express my grief at home either and it started to swallow me. I’d always been depressed in my life but this was probably the second biggest pit of my life. I began to bang my head on lockers just to drown out as much as I could. I barely spoke to anybody. My art and science teachers were the ones who not only recognized something was wrong but they gave me safe spaces out of class when I needed them during the mourning process and called my mom on days where I shouldn’t have even been sent to school and needed to go home. My art teacher really encouraged my art when up until that point, I’d just been drawing just to draw. I didn’t have any confidence in anything I was doing or any reason to do it other than I enjoyed it but getting A’s in her class meant a lot to me and my teacher taught me the value of slowing down “just a little bit” and giving my art that little extra love and care it deserves instead of rushing something and completing the assignment the first run through. Id never visually seen patience pay off until this point and it really helped me even more in school in general… I didn’t have to rush on an assignment to get it done by the Bell in art and it was sooooooooooo nice.

Now, in high school, I academically did fine. However, the principal and the assistant principal failed me multiple times and we’re gonna get into that. I’m also going to say that I failed art in 9th grade and it killed my desire for art. I’m sorry but I thought I’d get that out of the way first before we get into the real bad stuff. Also, TRIGGER WARNING FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT. I was heavily failed by the heads of my high school on multiple occasions. The first time was on school grounds in 9th grade. My mom got the cops involved for “justice”. I just wanted to be left alone. When it went to court, all I asked for and ever asked for was the boy to get counseling. My mom tried to go to the school about it first to which they told her that “he’s an A-B, student and she’s more of a C-D student” and they weren’t going to do anything plus told the cops that when they interviewed the heads of the school. The incident hit a forum for our county at the time where adults and other students bashed me online. They didn’t even know my side… It was a million reasons why it was my fault and I was a piece of garbage for doing anything about it. I lost all my my friends over it. I was ashamed and because of everything that had transpired with the whole online forum caused me to where I couldn’t come out when someone who claimed to be my friend tried to do more than just assault me 3 years later after inviting me at his house to play video games with him and a bunch of our friends (he lied there were no friends there). I didn’t feel like I could tell anybody and not when it happened 3 days before I was moving to another state and not when this 6’3 football playing freshman used me just turning 18 my senior year (cuz I was held back and such) to silence me. It was a horrible situation to be left in and no child should have to feel like they can’t tell their parents or ANY adult at school in fear of what would happen especially after something like that.

I was also expelled for posting song lyrics on my Myspace page. I got called to the office during lunch like a month before the last day of school my junior year. My parents were already there in the office and as I sat down, the principal and assistant principal smuggly whipped out a 3 page printout of my Myspace page like they’d REALLY caught me being as bad as they thought. They had highlighted random things from my myspace printout and pointed to each one and was told that because of these, I was a threat to the school and was to leave and not come back the rest of the year. What did they highlight? Various lyrics to various metal songs from bands I listened to. I’m not even joking. These clowns even dragged the city police down and the police said there was no threat AND THE PRINCIPAL STILL TOLD ME TO LEAVE THE SCHOOL. My father was furious but because he was so disengaged with aspects of our lives for so long that he didn’t realize that’s how the school systems were and had been for me this whole time. I wasn’t even going to fight them anymore. Had I lied about a few dumb things here and there like students who get caught doing stupid dumb teenage things do? Yes. Id never deny that but they treated me like an animal. A girl bullied my friend and they did nothing so I tried to talk to the girl who decided to punch me in the face instead and I retaliate and who’s in trouble? Me. Guy slings girls books across the hall daily but my friend stands up to them bullying people and this guy and his sack of potato friends circle my 1 friend and I GRAB THIS GUYS SHIRT TO TELL HIM TO LEAVE PEOPLE ALONE and who gets in school suspension? Me. I didn’t look for fights or start them but I didn’t like seeing others getting bullied or ganged up on either and would absolutely finish them. They even called me a liar for saying I try not to judge people based on how they look based on how I’d been treated. I was called a liar daily when I had returned for 2 months my senior year during lunch for not moving. We were supposed to move over the summer and the house didn’t sell so we were stuck for a couple months longer. Every single day it was “I thought you were moving?”, “You’re not really moving”, “stop saying you’re moving”, etc until in October when everything was ready for us to move.

Two months into my senior year we moved to the south. My new school in the state we moved to couldn’t figure out which classes I did or didn’t have credits for so they moved me all the way back to a freshman. Yeah. You read that right. I was 2 months in my senior year and reduced to a freshman because they couldn’t figure out how to disperse the credits I earned from my old school into their system. I tried by doing catch-up classes but I had surgery that December that same year which left me 2 months out of school and held back again. I had enough at that point, was old enough to drop out myself, signed myself out of school, and immediately went and started GED classes that same day. I went to those for a month and took my test, graduating my senior year with a GED and scoring within the top 10% of graduating seniors that year. Many people may frown upon a GED but I’m so incredibly proud of mine.

So, that’s my long journey of 13 years in public school. I think getting older and just maturing helped a lot and I was able to focus easier once I realized I learned different ways and how to learn to remember things that worked for me. I had a great group of outcast friends in high school that really helped me out and I came out of my dark depressive pit at around the middle of 10th grade. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids to spend my high school years with! Overall, I think if more teachers were equipped to teach kids who learned in different ways and recognized the worth of every student and shows them what they’re capable of matter how disinterested they seem… We’d be seeing a decline in the dropout rate and we would see kids passionate and excited about school again.

Talking About My Gender

I’ve never ever really opened up about this aspect. It’s an idea that was shunned in my home growing up to an extent. It’s confusing but I’m going to try. I am non-binary. My father has conservative views on gender identity. I have always been and felt different… Since I can remember (which is before my youngest sibling was born). The best way I can explain what I’m like… I see myself as neither male or female. I can be masculine or feminine but I don’t think intentionally or directly which one I want to be. I don’t even remember I having my lady parts unless they’re affecting me, weird to hear for some.. right? Let’s start diving.

At a VERY young age I PROTESTED wearing dresses. I fought until I got to an age where my mom couldn’t fight me to get dressed anymore so she FINALLY gave up slowly but surely. It took almost all my life for my mom to fully let go of the little girl she expected to have and my father and I have NEVER discussed this. I wanted short hair since I can remember too but I was NOT allowed to cut my hair above the shoulders even well past 18 but because I lived at home they called the shots. I distinctly remember it being the early 90s and riding by our local ice cream store/putt putt golf place down the street from ours and I saw 3 people wearing all black, piercings, tattoos, mohawks, etc and fell in love. I’ve been obsessed with the style since. In elementary school I begged my mom relentlessly for years to change my name. I didn’t want a last or middle name just one singular name. I gave up when “we’ll discuss it when you’re older” became “when you’re an adult you can do as you please”. It felt disappointing and as if my parents would only accept me if I was the me they thought I was/should be.

As I got older the urge got stronger. I was clearly into way more boys stuff than girls. I remember having a sleep over with my cousin and opening up to her about not “feeling like a girl” but when asked “do you feel like a boy?” I had no answer. I didn’t feel like either. I felt like a soul and this body is just a “mechanical” shell for that soul but how was preteen me able to explain this? I couldn’t. my cousin held her hand up and asked me to do the same and said “see? Your hand hangs like mine and it’s very feminine.” Well, how could I argue that? I didn’t know how or understand. I had no one to turn to to talk about these things and anytime I tried, scenarios like this happened constantly… To discredit me and to reassure themselves that their perception of me isn’t tainted. It was lonely.

Teenage years got better. The first person I really looked up to as a teen for my gender identity was P!nk. She had short hair and didn’t take crap. She wasn’t Britney Spears or Christina aguilera and as just as an obscure popstar as I was an undiagnosed non-binary autistic female. I remember being mad I wasn’t allowed to play football. I still had to have long hair but I felt like I embraced that more as a teenager. I got to wear all black (no piercings though cept when I pierced my lip in class with a thumb tack like an idiot and had that a couple of days… DO NOT DO THIS, BTW. IT HURTS AND LEAVES A HORRID SCAR. SAVE YOURSELF) and I got to dye my hair this nice burgundy color. Dating was weird. I was too independent and masculine for most guys my age (I was one of the guys but didn’t put up with their shit either) and was intimidating. I had a few girl crushes but they never went anywhere mainly out of judgement.) I felt like the girls embraced my true self at this age more than the guys.. where I basically expected to… Act like one of the guys. It was confusing and draining. But I got through it. I remember watching Constantine and seeing Tilda Swinton as Gabriel for the first time when I was like 15 or so. This was the first moment I’d ever been in awe to see someone who represented how I felt internally and physically representing that flawlessly and who I desperately wanted to be like on the outside. It’s how I felt.. who this person inside me is despite the shell I’m in.

Pregnancy. That’s such a weird concept when you truly think about it. A tiny human grows from something so small you cant see it with your eye into a whole baby. Incredible.. and I got to experience it. It wasn’t planned at all but I welcomed it just as I did everything else that came into my life.. unexpectedly or not. I remember feeling him move for the first time. Pregnancy felt weird. I didn’t feel like it was MY body going through the changes despite there being quite obvious mental, hormonal, physical changes. It’s so hard to explain. Plus with so many other things going on it’s really hard to paint the whole picture of what pregnancy was like. Even when they cut my son out of me, the reality of “this is happening to me. My body. I have the uterus that grew this beautiful baby” but I couldn’t understand it or fully wrap my head around the gravity of that entire experience. I’ll go more into this in another blog.

Now, we get to the last 11 years or so. I’ve had peace. I’ve cut my hair into a mohawk with 9 or so piercings and plenty of tattoos. I’m happily married to my husband, whom I adore. Our sex life is fantastic and probably fairly average and not as weird as I assume most would think when they read this. (I might be wrong, idk. Never opened up about this or me like this before). My husband is very accepting and embracing of my gender especially only getting answers as to what it’s called and finding out others had other experiences in the last 5 years or so and we’ve been together for almost 16 years. As of right now, I still haven’t settled on a singular name (but Im trying to go by Valkyrie so I can still go by my actual name for a short version and it’s easy for me and them… for the time being while I think on it more and it’s okay if I change my mind) but it’s still a desire I have so I’ve accepted and embraced the singular name concept, something that was shunned a loooong time ago and forgotten about… Finally embraced and it feels so nice and relieving.

I could point out my masculine traits all day and I still think my dad would deny me or say it’s made up or dismiss it with something. He won’t see how masculine (or unfeminine) I was. Sadly, I was not a planned child and my parents wanted a boy. My youngest sibling was born male and my dad spent so much time focusing on how masculine my male born sibling wasn’t that he didn’t see the masculine son was there all along.

At this point, I’m beyond trying to prove myself. Whoever can see me how they want nor do they have to understand me because I’m done trying to explain and justify myself. I FINALLY understand myself and it’s sooooo relieving to have validation and it’s just one more aspect this lonely soul discovered about themselves as an adult that’s been super incredible and helpful. Would it have beneficial for me to have answers and support sooner? Absolutely. It would’ve helped my confidence problems at the least, I think. Maybe someday my dad and I can have this conversation… But right now we need to get past giving thumbs up responses when I send a 150 lb weight loss update to him. I’ll keep y’all updated but don’t keep up hope anything positive or good will happen.. which is something else I’m slowly coming to peace with. We will save that for another time though.

#nonbinary #gender #genderidentity #neurodiversity #adhd #autistic #actuallyautistic #lgbtq #neurodivergent #thoughts #blog #blogging