Jim Sinclair

Jim Sinclair is an autism rights activist who, with fellow autistics Kathy Lissner Grant and Donna Williams, formed Autism Network International (ANI) in 1992.

In 1993 Sinclair wrote the essay, "Don't Mourn for Us", articulating an anti-cure perspective on autism. The essay has been thought of as a touchstone for the fledgling autism-rights movement, and has been mentioned in The New York Times and New York Magazine.

Sinclair established and ran Autreat, the first independent autistic-run gathering, for fifteen years after attending conferences that mainly included parents of autistic children and professionals. They and other autistic adults described these conferences as isolating and dehumanizing. Autreat explicitly prioritizes autistic needs, with programs like an "Ask a Neurotypical" panel.

Jim is also intersex and was subjected as a child to conversion therapy in attempts to make them conform to their assigned gender. In 1997 Jim wrote that they were "proudly neuter, both physically and socially."

Links

 * Website (Archived)