Autistic Pride

Autistic Pride Day was first celebrated in 2005 by Aspies for Freedom and it quickly became a global event which is celebrated widely online and offline. AFF modelled the celebration on the gay pride movement.  According to Kabie Brook, the co-founder of Autism Rights Group Highland (ARGH), “the most important thing to note about the day is that it is an autistic community event: it originated from and is still led by autistic people ourselves”, i.e. it is not a day for other charities or organisations to promote themselves or stifle autistic people. The rainbow infinity symbol is used as the symbol of this day, representing “diversity with infinite variations and infinite possibilities”.

The purpose of Autistic Pride is to show to the world that we are proud of being autistic and that we are not diseased or defective or in need of a cure. We have as much right to live a happy and fulfilled life as neurotypicals.

For much of the time many of us suppress or feel ashamed of our autistic behaviours. For this day we can cast any shame aside and be ourselves. The purpose of an Autistic Pride event is to create a space for autistic people to allow us to be ourselves.

For more background information on Autistic Pride, you can read a speech given by organiser Joseph Redford at London Autistic Pride 2019 here.

Autistic Pride around the World

Below is a map of everywhere we are aware of happening in 2023. Please click on the pin for more details and links to events.

Upcoming Autistic Pride Events

If you would like to post a poster for your event below, please email it to us at team@autisticempire.com.

Hyde Park, London 2023

Facebook event (used for communication on the day)

We would like to invite you all to attend the Eighth Annual Autistic Pride Picnic in the Park. We’re holding this event to promote acceptance from society and self-acceptance amongst autistic people.
It will be held in Hyde Park on Sunday June 18th 2023 from 12:00-16:00. This is a free public event, run by autistic people for autistic people, held in order to celebrate Autistic Pride. While this event is primarily aimed at autistic adults, non-autistic people and children will be very welcome.

SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY
12:00 Meet up at the site and settle down. To find the site then please click on this link for a map
https://what3words.com/reward.bike.starts
12:30-12:35: Introduction
12:35-13:05: Speakers, if you wish to speak this event
13:05-13:20: Break
13:20-14:20 Further scheduled speakers and entertainment
14:20-14:30: Break
14:30-14:45 Connection with other Autistic Prides by video link if they are running on the same day (in 2019 we connected with Manchester and Paris)
14:45-15:30 Open Mic session. Anyone can get up and make any speeches they like. Songs, music and poetry and debates are also welcome too.
15:00-15:30 If anyone is brave enough, they can make a trip to Speakers Corner and spread the message of Autistic Pride to the wider world. So far, only fve people have managed to do this. But a lot of people go to support them
15:30-16:00 Informal discussions and socialising

The picnic site will be in the wooded areas between the boathouse and the lookout, see the map for further detail. Our Pride Flag (see main picture) will be waving above the site.

The nearest Underground Stationa are Hyde Park Corner and Knightsbridge. Closer to the date we have photos that show the way which will be uploaded closer to the date (follow the purple arrows).

If you have attended previous Autistic Prides in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, this event will be held in the exact same spot.

We will have a picnic. No food or drink will be provided so feel free to bring your own. Bring food, games and sensory toys to share. Bring a blanket if you need one.

Typically we have speakers and people performing. Brave people can speak at Speakers Corner if they choose to. Bring along things related to your passions.

Bring your musical instrument.

Stimming is actively encouraged.

We may have activities after the event, if anyone is interested please let us know.

Sunday, June 18th is Autistic Pride Day! Join us at 12:00pm for a sensory friendly event at Foley Square, celebrating and advocating for the autistic community!

There will be free food, speeches, poetry readings, and musical performances! We also plan to work with autistic artists and creatives to display their art, and give out free souvenirs like stim toys, bracelets, pins, and more!

This event is open to all! All of the speakers/performers/artists/organizers/etc. are autistic, but the event is open to the general public. Bring out your friends and family to this event!!

FUNDRAISER
We’ve made a gofundme to raise money for this event! Help us pay for permits, food, earplugs, souvenirs, etc!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/autistic-pride-celebration

Time and Location:

12:00pm-3:30pm

Foley Square (Thomas Paine Park), Manhattan

REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT HERE!

WE ARE LOOKING FOR SPEAKERS, PERFORMERS, ARTISTS, VOLUNTEERS, ETC!
If you’re autistic, please reach out if you would like to be involved with this event! Ways you can be involved include:

• Read a poem or speech about autism/advocacy

• Doing a musical performance

• Displaying your artwork

• Handing out homemade crafts

• Volunteering to help set up/clean up after

• We’re also open to other ideas! Please reach out if you have something else you’d like to contribute!

Please fill out this forum if you’d like to be involved!

Autistic Pride Flag

The Autistic Empire has released a high-resolution, professionally designed, autistic pride flag under the Creative Commons free culture licence permitting any use of this flag, including commercial use, as long as attribution is made to the Autistic Empire (see details below).

The infinity symbol represents neurodiversity, the rainbow represents the pride movement. Gold is used by autistic advocates as the chemical symbol for gold is Au (from the Latin aurum). Gold is promoted as an alternative to non-autistic-led groups designating colours such as blue as a symbol for autism.

Feel free to use the autistic pride flag to make flags, banners, badges, print it, redesign it, sell it – it’s yours, forever.

Right-click to save as .png. Also available as a .eps file – please email us.

Pastel Neurodiversity Symbol was released by MissLunaRose12 under the CC-by-SA 4.0  and can be accessed here.

You can copy and paste the licence text below for easy attribution:

Autistic Pride Flag by Autistic Empire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Based on a work at https://www.autisticempire.com/autistic-pride.

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<a rel=”license” href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/”><img alt=”Creative Commons Licence” style=”border-width:0″ src=”https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/4.0/88×31.png” /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct=”http://purl.org/dc/terms/” href=”http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage” property=”dct:title” rel=”dct:type”>Autistic Pride Flag</span> by <a xmlns:cc=”http://creativecommons.org/ns#” href=”https://www.autisticempire.com/” property=”cc:attributionName” rel=”cc:attributionURL”>Autistic Empire</a> is licensed under a <a rel=”license” href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>.<br />Based on a work at <a xmlns:dct=”http://purl.org/dc/terms/” href=”https://www.autisticempire.com/autistic-pride” rel=”dct:source”>https://www.autisticempire.com/autistic-pride</a>.

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