Mel Baggs

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    Mel Baggs
    Date of birth August 15, 1980
    Place of birth Mountain View, California, USA
    Date of death April 11, 2020
    Place of death Burlington, Vermont, USA
    Nationality American
    Pronouns sie/hir[1]
    Gender identity genderless lesbian[2]
    Occupation Autism activist

    Mel Baggs was a well-known autistic activist blogger.[3] Baggs created a website titled "Getting the Truth Out", a response to a campaign by the Autism Society of America. Sie claimed that the ASA's campaign made autistic people objects of pity.[4] Sie also spoke at conferences about disabilities, and worked with Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists that were researching autism.[5]

    In January 2007, Baggs posted a video on YouTube entitled In My Language[6] describing the experience of living as an autistic person, which became the subject of several articles on CNN.[7][8][9] Baggs also guest-blogged about the video on Anderson Cooper's blog[10] and answered questions from the audience via email.[11]

    Baggs died on April 11, 2020 at the age of 39 in Burlington, Vermont; hir mother said that the cause of hir death was believed to be respiratory failure.[4]

    References[edit | edit source]

    1. "Transgender day of visibility". April 2015. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023.
    2. "I'm a genderless lesbian and…". June 2016. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023.
    3. Brown, Lydia (12 April 2020). "On Mel Bagg's untimely death". Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN). Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2020. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
    4. 4.0 4.1 Genzlinger, Neil (28 April 2020). "Mel Baggs, Blogger on Autism and Disability, Dies at 39". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2020. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
    5. Smith, Harrison. "Mel Baggs, influential blogger on disability and autism, dies at 39". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2020. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
    6. Baggs, Mel (14 January 2007). "In My Language". YouTube. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
    7. Gajilan, A. Chris (February 22, 2007). "Living with autism in a world made for others". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
    8. Gupta, Sanjay (20 February 2007). "Behind the veil of autism". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
    9. Abedin, Shahreen (21 February 2007). "Video reveals world of autistic woman". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
    10. Baggs, Mel (February 21, 2007). "Why we should listen to 'unusual' voices". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
    11. Baggs, Mel (22 February 2007). "Amanda Baggs answers your questions". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
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