Erin Ekins (she/her)

34. Queer autistic loner. Fangirler of many things. Wearer of fabulous earrings. Author of 'Queerly Autistic' and 'The Queerly Autistic Workbook'.

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

Not to be overly emotional on main, but there was a period of several years where I was genuinely convinced my book would never, ever be finished. I literally sobbed whilst drafting (and then deleting) 'giving up' emails to my publisher.

And now it's being published THIS WEEK 😭

[Basic Income UK @basicincome_uk]

“I have ADHD and I cope” is not an argument for cutting support from people whose ADHD is far more disabling. Severity varies hugely. PIP is based on functional impact, not diagnosis. His experience is evidence about him — not everyone else with ADHD.

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

@lungowe Yep. The fact he was waxing lyrical about how he's changed and reformed and is a better person now whilst actively deliberately downplaying what he was actually convicted of (he said he only pushed her, and stuck to that until the press actually brought out the records).

[🐾p3arlly 𐙚 @y0urhaunt3dgf]

One of the effective ways to keep people from questioning an unjust system is to convince them that their ability to survive makes them morally superior to those who can’t

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

@ColdMotherWall I will join you and grumble all the way.

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

Right now, you can do all these things. And you can be terribly smug and self-aggrandising about it. But one day, you might suddenly not be able to do that anymore. And where are you then? No longer useful and chucked away back down here with the rest of us.

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

The thing with 'well, I have ADHD and I can do [x]' is that you could literally hit burnout at any point. This often comes with skill regression that means suddenly you CAN'T do those things - and now you're at the mercy of the cruel and unforgiving system you helped build.

[Joe Robertson MP @JoePJRobertson]

I'm the shadow disability and welfare minister, and I have ADHD.

Here's why I want to cut the benefits bill 👇

https://t.co/pOMoOVGhGF

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

Burnout could hit any neurodivergent person at any point. You could manage for years, decades even, and suddenly hit a point where it's too much. And suddenly years of masking and strategies and hard-built processes fall apart. You are not special and exempt from this.

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

Fenrir would like announce that he's giving everything up to become a slug.

[Stef Benstead @StefBenstead]

"People who are housebound do wonderful creative work from home."
I do needle felting. A single piece can take 10-20 hrs. No-one is about to pay me £127.10-254.20 for a couple of needle-felted birds. This is not a serious proposition. My hobby is a hobby, not a meaningful income.

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

@D2020T

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

My local MP has blocked me because every time he tweets about 'protecting women and girls' from migrants I remind him that he has a conviction for kicking a woman multiple times.

[Laura Elliott @TinyWriterLaura]

honestly i spend a large portion of my PIP on being able to pay the remainder of rent when my disability means i have to stop freelance work for a week or 2; i also spend it on meds not available on the NHS delivered from abroad. both of these require irl money not vouchers

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

Additional reminder that, although he now sits as an independent, not Reform, he was NOT kicked out of Reform when the abuse conviction came to light. He suspended himself from the party the following year after accusations around his business dealings with a covid loan.

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

So here's another reminder: ex-Reform MP James McMurdock has a conviction for kicking his girlfriend multiple times (apparently two security guards had to pull him off her), and when the conviction came to light he lied and said he just 'pushed' her. https://t.co/egM98umHyo

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

@AliArthPainter It's incredible how frequently anti-autistic anti-vax views are the foundation for an eventual full turn to the harsh right. Canaries in the coal mine etc. etc.

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

@AliArthPainter Yeah, his journey into full deep far right started with anti-vax stuff back during Covid (and then obviously exacerbated by him realising his abuse would likely come out at some point and he needed to cultivate a sympathetic audience ahead of it).

[Jen Wood - est optimum simpliciter @unojen_wood]

I am sick to death of hearing 'we pay billions in welfare' like it is paid out and disappears into thin air. People on benefits do not put their money offshore - they SPEND it back into the economy.

[Erin Ekins (she/her) @QueerlyAutistic]

@JennLaFleur Saaaaame, I'm sat on my hands like 'well no one can stop me from putting it up on 12 November...'