That must have been back in the 1960s or maybe early 1970s. I don't remember being gay was ever a reason to put someone in the mental hospital, since I was born (I was born in the mid 1970s), although certainly in the 1960s and 1950s and before, they did. Homosexuality was even illegal in England in the mid 1960s. Music producer Joe Meek, who produced "Telstar" by the Tornadoes (1962) and "Have I The Right?" by the Honeycombs (1964), was gay himself. This led him to be under threats of blackmail too. He committed suicide in February 1967.
I'm not gay; however, I do have Classic Autism and ADHD. And as far as I know, in the 1960s and 1950s, Autistic children like me were also institutionalized at the state hospital or developmental center. There's a high chance if I was born just 25 years before I was, I'd probably would have ended up there. Also those with Down Syndrome often ended up in developmental centers alongside the Autistics as well. The sad thing is that Autistic people were never truly accepted even up to the present day. Sure, things are better than in the 1960s, and most Autistic people (children and adults) ended up living at home with their parents, like me. Great that they no longer institutionalize Autistic people with the deinstitutionalization under reforms by Reagan, but it also left a few Autistic people homeless. And the thing is, Autistic people are still scorned and mistreated by society. Even Down Syndrome people are treated better. I wish I had Down Syndrome (or even more so, proportionate pituitary dwarfism, so then at least I'd look like a 4 year old). The problem is most Autistic people are so harassed in society and bullied so much that most of them end up being introverted and end up spending most of their times indoors inside their homes. So instead of rotting away at the state hospital, Autistic people now rot away inside their parents' home? That's not that much better, to be honest. In one way, I'm lucky. I'm lucky that I do have some friends and that I do get seen in the public. But that is also because my children's librarian friend at my local library wanted me to help her as an assistant volunteer co-host at Preschooler Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds. Some librarians didn't even like me that much in spite the nearly 2 decades that I worked with the preschoolers. I go to my local community college as well every week. I did have some old college instructor friends there, but after COVID 19 happened, most instructors and professors bailed out....they got a good retirement package early and then retired. So I don't have a lot of friends there anymore. And my librarian friend retired and Preschooler Storytime was permanently cancelled. They brought back Baby Storytime and Toddler Storytime, but not Preschooler Storytime. Also, Toddler Storytime is now for 1 to 2 year olds. It used to be for 2 to 3 year olds. I never go to my old library anymore. Most of my child friends are now teens, or even in some cases, adults at this point, after these long 4 COVID years. Most Autistic people are introverted though, and stay at home like a hermit because they get harassed and bullied on the outside. I am planning to move to the Deep South (maybe anywhere from Alabama to the Carolinas) where I have some sweet friends. I'm not going to stay in the Western USA. I have hardly any friends anymore around me.
I suppose things could be even worse for Autistics back in the 1930s and 1940s in Germany. Autistics we're probably sent to concentration camps and gasses and perished in Germany, during World War 2, thanks to Adolf.
I wish I could go back to being 3 years old again physically because I really do act like a 3 or 4 year old, at least emotionally and socially. You don't need to be very old to realize that I am developmentally disabled to the point of being like a child. Even most nonautistic actual 3- and 4- year olds realize this. I think most young children realize that I don't act like an adult and don't perceive me as such as all. I think some adults don't even perceive me as an adult. Of course, infantilization and overprotectiveness out of concern is much better than being bullied. A lot of parents of even young children who are friends are protective of me, out of being concerned. In contrast, when I lived in state university in a residence apartment on campus, at age 22-24 chronologically, I was bullied incredibly. Like, 96% of students in the residence apartment dorms thought I was retarded. The verbal insults were amazing. I had a friend with hydrocephalus who was normal (not learning or developmentally disabled) who kept being asked by others if I was retarded. He got so sick of answering that question, he started telling them "Why don't you ask him yourself"?
The only people who were ever truly understanding of me or accepting of me were toddlers and preschoolers. When I was in Catholic school in 7th and 8th grade, even 3rd and 4th graders laughed at me doing the weather on the PA system. I thought my younger nonautistic brother (who was in that grade level) was embarrassed of me; actually, he told me years later, he wanted to beat at the daylights out of them. At least the high school kids respected me when I did the weather in high school. I was one of the most beloved students in 12th grade, although I didn't have nowhere near the highest grades or perhaps not even close to having the best behavior.
I seriously wonder if those 4th graders also laughed and mocked the weatherman or meteorologist on the local nightly news when he gave weather predictions. Good grief.
I even said that to my brother yesterday eating lunch with my parents and his wife and kids (my nephews) at their house. What torture the TV meteorologist at night must have gone through.
Again, the only age group that never bullied me were toddlers and preschoolers. Maybe elderly people are more understanding of me too. But college students, definitely not. Not even older elementary school kids.
- longallsboy
