Dear Amazon,
I address you as such because you have become somewhat of a faceless entity. In truth, you never really had a face, but if you once did, those days are long gone.
I am writing to you regarding your sale of books and equipment promoting and enabling the abuse of Autistic people on your platform. It has been an ongoing problem and so far you have avoided any meaningful conversation or response to this matter.
Did you know that Autistic children and young people are 28 times more likely to think about or attempt suicide according to the Royal College Of Psychiatrists? Do you think parents forcing bleach solutions into their bodies while telling them they’re broken could be part of that? To you these are just statistics, but for me and others like me, this is a systematic obliteration of our culture’s future.
I’m willing to bet that Amazon wouldn’t be half as successful as it is without the input of Autistic minds, and yet you continue to be complicit in our eradication.
You may compartmentalise this issue under the guise of neutrality, freedom of speech, or simply not seeing the human lives behind this issue, but you have the power to do something meaningful here. Perhaps it would improve the optics for you, which as a member of the public, I have to tell you that you sorely need.
My request is a simple one. Stop platforming abuse. Empower Autistic people rather than dehumanise them. Many of us, including myself, are publishing writing through your KDP platform. It seems disingenuous to profit off of our attempts at liberation while also selling the means to eradicate us.
It’s likely you will never see this letter, but others will. We as a proud community will not stop fighting for our right to exist. I urge you, Amazon, be on the right side of history.
In Solidarity With My Neurokin,
David Gray-Hammond
Autistic and Human.