“Hey, hey, LBJ! How many kids have you killed today?”
In the 1960’s this was a familiar cry by anti-Vietnam war protestors every time President Lyndon B Johnson made a public appearance. Senator Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy (RFK) was vehemently opposed to that war, and worked towards ceasing it when his brother, John F Kennedy (JFK) became President. It is with a deep sense of irony then that Robert Kennedy’s son, who carries the same name, has thrown himself into another war, one just as meaningless, one of his own imagination and also one that’s going to get a lot of kids killed.
Instead of fighting the Vietcong, RFK Junior has decided to wage a war against autism.
His weapon of choice? The public health of the American people, and the reckless endangerment of the lives and wellbeing of Autistic people all over the planet, as he sprays bullets and fires missiles made of unfettered lies and mythology.
So, we can reutilise that chant to say: “Hey, hey, RFK! How many kids have you killed today?”
On April 16 2025 USA Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave a briefing where he, “warned that children in the U.S. are being diagnosed with autism at an ‘alarming rate” and where he promised to “conduct exhaustive studies to identify any environmental factors that may cause the developmental disorder.” (PBS: Live RFK Autism Briefing, 07/04/25)
On 21 April 2025 I was holding a Q&A inside of my Membership and Dr Amy Pearson was joining me to talk about safe relationships for Autistic people. We decided it would also be important to address not just RFK’s comments but also some of the wider conversations about autism and disability which are happening right now in both the UK and the US.
I have, with Amy’s permission, shared the section of the Q&A related to RFK’s comments and you’re welcome to share this article. You’re also welcome to share the video (but I feel the article gives context to the video and ideally they should be shared together).
We watched RFK’s briefing together and then we answered a number of questions (based around a loose theme of relationships with those in power):
ONE: Can Kieran and Amy speak to current affairs in the US – Trump, Musk et al, but specifically to RFK and his recent statement regarding autism? (You may also like to read my article on Elon Musk)
TWO: How does that relate to the broader Governmental assaults on Disabled people (particularly focused on Autistic and ADHD people) in the US and UK – whereby the only value of your worth as a human seems to be measured via your ability to ‘contribute and work’ (but also increasing barriers to doing that at the same time)?
THREE: What does this all mean in terms of research, as progressiveness is rolled back and funding priorities shift heavily towards a more ableist worldview again (At least directly initially in the US, but I’m sure the rest of the world will be affected)?
FOUR: How do you find the balance between your personal views and how you do your job in light of this (Tips on how to be subversive in research would be great!)?
ALSO: What did you think of the fact that the rebuttal to RFK put out by ASAN was co-signed by Autism Speaks (https://autisticadvocacy.org/2025/04/leading-autism-organizations-release-joint-statement-on-upholding-scientific-integrity-and-supporting-the-autism-community/)
Here’s the recording of our conversation;
When I share content around the anti-vax narrative, my opinons on charities such as Autism Speaks and when I post my views on high profile autistic people such as Elon Musk I always get pushback from readers who vehemently disagree with my opinions. And I’m sure this conversation with Amy will generate similar responses. So I’d like to include this quote from Amy, which she says around 35 minutes into the video; “You don’t have to agree with me. But I’m going to present you with the evidence and then I expect you to assess the evidence yourself.”
I thought it would be nice to end with a quote I’ve used in previous articles;
“Autistic people are not broken neurotypical people. We are perfectly whole Autistic people.”
Kieran Rose, The Autistic Advocate
Links to Kieran and Amy’s work together
Intimate Partner Violence Research
Interpersonal Victimisation in the Lives of Autistic People
An Autistic Guide to Healthy Relationships
Kieran and Amy’s Book: Autistic Masking
If you’ve found this article useful you can support my work by donating any amount from $3 (about the same as a coffee – mine’s a caramel latte please!).
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Thanks for you support – it means the absolute world. Kieran x
Keep in touch with Kieran Rose, The Autistic Advocate
You might be interested in ‘The Inside of Autism’
One of the topics I cover in my training ‘The Inside of Autism’ is the history of autism. And it feels like we’re living through a pivotal period of our history right now! There are 6 modules in total within the training, plus many additional resources and you can find our more here: The Inside of Autism
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