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Meet the autistic, non-binary, queer, law student fighting 4 disability justice

http://news.northeastern.edu/2018/04/19/the-autistic-non-bin...
Mint Background Story Athletic Conference
  04/23/18
is zher resume 20 pgs because it's in 24pt comic sans?
scarlet site party of the first part
  04/23/18
It probably has to be in multiple languages and braille, oth...
Mint Background Story Athletic Conference
  04/23/18
you missed "Islamic"
twinkling insanely creepy institution
  04/23/18
Oppression is a credential
purple know-it-all abode
  04/23/18
sadly. this.
canary famous landscape painting
  04/23/18
...
Narrow-minded Area
  04/23/18
...
Mint Background Story Athletic Conference
  04/23/18
...
Disgusting Bateful Half-breed
  04/23/18
...
sapphire potus
  04/23/18
...
yellow vigorous psychic pit
  04/23/18
...
adventurous mexican
  04/24/18
always a link
twinkling insanely creepy institution
  04/23/18
Didn’t expect one
Boyish Therapy Legend
  04/23/18
I fucking wish I was creative enough to come up with this on...
Mint Background Story Athletic Conference
  04/23/18
In many ways zhe speaks for us
Aggressive sneaky criminal giraffe
  04/23/18
lmao
Narrow-minded Area
  04/23/18
I guess if you're autistic you might as well declare yoursel...
Slate theater
  04/23/18
...
yellow vigorous psychic pit
  04/23/18
lmao @ this fat NOWAG who looks like arthur chu
awkward water buffalo
  04/23/18
I'd prefer not to.
180 zippy queen of the night menage
  04/23/18
lol typical Asian gaming the system
Curious roommate lay
  04/23/18
...
Peach lascivious plaza newt
  04/24/18
...
yellow vigorous psychic pit
  04/24/18
I read somewhere that most trannies are autists.
Splenetic Stage
  04/23/18
In 4 years he'll be working in biglaw and you'll be fired wi...
floppy national dog poop
  04/23/18
So is thing supposed to be a transman? If so why not change ...
Splenetic Stage
  04/23/18
Dat poast moniker synergy
yellow vigorous psychic pit
  04/23/18
...
Mint Background Story Athletic Conference
  04/24/18
...
Slap-happy church building travel guidebook
  04/24/18
...
Diverse Death Wish Sanctuary
  04/24/18
...
demanding station
  04/24/18
Lmaooo
mischievous persian
  04/24/18
Looks like Kiwi Camara. I’m expecting racist conlaw notes to...
duck-like charismatic police squad corner
  04/24/18
my mom is a NE law alum. I sent her this article. she now...
awkward water buffalo
  04/24/18
which mom
demanding station
  04/24/18
...
awkward water buffalo
  04/24/18
...
Mint Background Story Athletic Conference
  04/25/18
Brown, L’18, is set to graduate in May as a public interest ...
Erotic Sinister International Law Enforcement Agency Philosopher-king
  04/24/18
...
adventurous mexican
  04/25/18
Was genuinely confused by the use of "they" a coup...
bronze market
  04/25/18


Poast new message in this thread



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Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:42 PM
Author: Mint Background Story Athletic Conference

http://news.northeastern.edu/2018/04/19/the-autistic-non-binary-queer-law-student-fighting-for-disability-justice/

THE AUTISTIC, NON-BINARY, QUEER, LAW STUDENT FIGHTING FOR DISABILITY JUSTICE

Lydia X. Z. Brown is angry.

A gender non-binary, queer, disabled person of color, Brown is self-described as “multiply-marginalized.” And the third-year law student at Northeastern, whose resumé of activism and pro bono disability justice work spans nearly 20 pages, is angry that there is still a need for this type of effort.

“I’m angry about how I and people like me are treated,” Brown said. “I’m angry at the erasure, the isolation I and people like me have experienced. Ten years after I began doing advocacy work, I’m still saying the same damn things all the time.”

Brown, L’18, is set to graduate in May as a public interest law scholar. Brown identifies as gender non-binary and uses “they/them/their” pronouns, an identification which will be reflected throughout this story.

A visiting lecturer at the Tufts University Experimental College, Brown led a course called “Re-Thinking Disability: From Public Policy to Social Movements.” Among Brown’s accomplishments: Serving as chairperson of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council; interning on the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services; participating in the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project and Prisoners’ Rights Clinic at Northeastern; working within the American Civil Liberties Union and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network; and acting as the lead editor of All the Weight of Our Dreams, the first-ever anthology of writings and artwork by autistic people of color.

This year, Brown was named the National Association for Law Placement Pro Bono Publico Award winner. It’s a prestigious honor that acknowledges one law student nationwide for pro bono contributions to society, while recognizing the significant contributions that law students make to underserved populations, the public interest community, and legal education through public service work.

All this barely scratches the surface of Brown’s work.

The thing is, Brown never intended to be a lawyer. A graduate of Georgetown University with a major in Arabic, Brown was inspired by a love of South Asian and Persian Sufi music and poetry.

While Brown had a longstanding “yearning for justice,” they never even intended to become an activist. Indeed, Brown described it as having “fallen into activism by accident.”

Falling into activism

Brown was diagnosed as autistic in eighth grade, and in high school decided to raise funds for an autism awareness walk hosted by a nonprofit advocacy organization. Canvassing the neighborhood, school, and family events, Brown raised more than $1,200 for the group.

While looking into the organization, Brown discovered what they described as behavior that ran opposite the organization’s stated mission of support and advocacy.

Brown decided they could neither keep the money raised nor hand it over to the organization. Brown decided to “get up the guts” to tell the donors what they’d discovered about the organization and return the money.

Brown took it a step further, though, by reaching out to the people who were posting information online about the advocacy organization, and asking to learn more about the work they were doing.

“That’s how I got involved in disability activism,” Brown said.

It was through these online channels that Brown learned about the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a national nonprofit disability rights organization whose work includes public policy advocacy and empowering autistic people through self-advocacy. The organization’s motto: “Nothing about us without us.”

‘Ableism ran rampant’

Brown worked with ASAN throughout high school and college, becoming a policy analyst within the organization’s national office in Washington, D.C. by senior year at Georgetown.

Aside from ASAN, however, Brown didn’t expect to be intimately involved in disability rights work. Brown expected to pursue a doctoral degree in Islamic studies as planned. That was not the case.

“It became very apparent to me in my freshman year that there were serious flaws and systemic problems throughout campus. Ableism ran rampant,” Brown said.

Becoming a student advocate was not a choice, it wasn’t an option, it wasn’t something that I actively deliberated upon and then decided to do; it was mandatory. It wasn’t something that I could refuse to take part in,” Brown said. “I believe very strongly—and I have for my entire life, it’s a model that I live by—that each one of us is obligated to use whatever resources we have to fight and challenge oppression in all of its forms.”

For Brown, that obligation to establish justice included many forms of undergraduate activism. Brown co-founded the Washington Metro Disabled Students Collective; led multiple campaigns to reform policy on disability access that led to the creation of a dedicated funding pool for sign language interpretation, real-time captioning, and a dedicated access coordinator position; organized 11 events related to disability rights; and much, much more.

“As a campus organizer, I did work on so many fronts that it’s dizzying even to contemplate,” Brown said, laughing.

When Brown graduated, their sole position in the Georgetown University Student Association was filled by a team of people.

Challenging oppression in all its forms

By doing disability rights work, Brown slowly became drawn toward disability justice work.

Brown explained that disability rights work seeks equity and inclusion. Disability justice seeks reparations, a deep pivot of values away from ableism, and an understanding that the law alone—in all its plodding deliberateness—may not be enough.

Indeed, Brown sees the manifestation of ableism—discrimination in favor of able-bodied people—everywhere. Sexism is the result of the belief that men and masculinity are the norm and women and femininity are other. Discrimination against queer and transgender people is based on the belief that straight, cis-gendered people are the norm. Racism is based on the belief that whiteness is the norm.

“So much of this invokes the larger language of disability,” Brown said, voice rising with passion. “Ableism is everywhere. Disability justice calls on us to fight this, to develop a deliberate consciousness—it is inherently intersectional.”

So, Brown went to law school, continuing a legacy of deeply-engrained disability justice work at Northeastern.

Brown is an active member of the Committee Against Institutional Racism, representing the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. They are also on the Transgender Justice Task Force and the Faculty Appointments Committee and serve as a founding core collective member of the Disability Justice Caucus.

Jeremy Paul, dean of the School of Law, lauded Brown’s accomplishments at a ceremony this year celebrating their Pro Bono Publico Award. “I’ve learned a lot from you,” he said.

Assistant dean Michelle Harper described Brown as “truly remarkable,” adding that Brown brings “strongly-held values and a critical perspective” to the school’s law scholarship.

“Law is a powerful tool for change,” Brown said. “I could’ve continued my studies as planned, ended up doing academic work that would’ve felt disconnected from doing anything for my community or other marginalized communities. But that path wouldn’t feel right to me.”

And so Brown’s tireless work continues—until, hopefully, it runs out. “I don’t want to have work to do in advocacy, in activism,” Brown said. “That would be great.”

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904079)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:43 PM
Author: scarlet site party of the first part

is zher resume 20 pgs because it's in 24pt comic sans?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904089)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:44 PM
Author: Mint Background Story Athletic Conference

It probably has to be in multiple languages and braille, otherwise it would disadvantage the blind/non-english speaking.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904095)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:47 PM
Author: twinkling insanely creepy institution

you missed "Islamic"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904110)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:44 PM
Author: purple know-it-all abode

Oppression is a credential

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904094)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:48 PM
Author: canary famous landscape painting

sadly. this.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904119)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:50 PM
Author: Narrow-minded Area



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904131)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 10:51 PM
Author: Mint Background Story Athletic Conference



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905507)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 10:53 PM
Author: Disgusting Bateful Half-breed



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905513)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 10:53 PM
Author: sapphire potus



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905523)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 11:06 PM
Author: yellow vigorous psychic pit



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905613)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 12:45 AM
Author: adventurous mexican



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35906310)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:45 PM
Author: twinkling insanely creepy institution

always a link

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904104)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:58 PM
Author: Boyish Therapy Legend

Didn’t expect one

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904208)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 11:02 PM
Author: Mint Background Story Athletic Conference

I fucking wish I was creative enough to come up with this on my own. Alas, I am no evan39.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905581)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:47 PM
Author: Aggressive sneaky criminal giraffe

In many ways zhe speaks for us

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904112)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:49 PM
Author: Narrow-minded Area

lmao

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904130)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:54 PM
Author: Slate theater

I guess if you're autistic you might as well declare yourself "non-binary and queer," cuz that's the only social leverage you're going to get.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904166)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 7:56 PM
Author: yellow vigorous psychic pit



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904193)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 8:06 PM
Author: awkward water buffalo

lmao @ this fat NOWAG who looks like arthur chu

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35904277)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 10:53 PM
Author: 180 zippy queen of the night menage

I'd prefer not to.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905517)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 10:54 PM
Author: Curious roommate lay

lol typical Asian gaming the system

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905533)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 3:07 PM
Author: Peach lascivious plaza newt



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35910172)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 3:09 PM
Author: yellow vigorous psychic pit



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35910193)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 10:56 PM
Author: Splenetic Stage

I read somewhere that most trannies are autists.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905540)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 10:56 PM
Author: floppy national dog poop

In 4 years he'll be working in biglaw and you'll be fired without severance for accidentally saying "thanks, dude" when he holds the door for you.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905542)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 11:08 PM
Author: Splenetic Stage

So is thing supposed to be a transman? If so why not change its name?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905630)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 23rd, 2018 11:13 PM
Author: yellow vigorous psychic pit

Dat poast moniker synergy

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35905680)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 8:03 AM
Author: Mint Background Story Athletic Conference



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35907037)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 8:12 AM
Author: Slap-happy church building travel guidebook



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35907057)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 8:13 AM
Author: Diverse Death Wish Sanctuary



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35907061)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 8:19 AM
Author: demanding station



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35907080)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 8:06 AM
Author: mischievous persian

Lmaooo

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35907042)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 8:22 AM
Author: duck-like charismatic police squad corner

Looks like Kiwi Camara. I’m expecting racist conlaw notes to surface any day now.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35907086)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 3:06 PM
Author: awkward water buffalo

my mom is a NE law alum.

I sent her this article. she now understands why I hate liberals so much.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35910167)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 3:08 PM
Author: demanding station

which mom

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35910186)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 24th, 2018 3:10 PM
Author: awkward water buffalo



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35910201)



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Date: April 25th, 2018 1:43 PM
Author: Mint Background Story Athletic Conference



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35917531)



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Date: April 24th, 2018 3:09 PM
Author: Erotic Sinister International Law Enforcement Agency Philosopher-king

Brown, L’18, is set to graduate in May as a public interest law scholar.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35910195)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 25th, 2018 2:20 PM
Author: adventurous mexican



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35917900)



Reply Favorite

Date: April 25th, 2018 1:47 PM
Author: bronze market

Was genuinely confused by the use of "they" a couple times, thinking the author was referring to a group.

And a hearty ljl at:

“As a campus organizer, I did work on so many fronts that it’s dizzying even to contemplate,” Brown said, laughing.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3957829&forum_id=2#35917561)