You Are Not to Be Tracked. You Are to Be Treasured.

This isn’t just a post. It’s a prayer. A promise. A plea.

Lately, there’s been growing talk about creating a national registry for autistic individuals. At first glance, it might sound helpful—a way to "better understand" or "support" those on the spectrum. But history and lived experience urge us to pause. And to remember.

As someone who has devoted my life to education, to neurodivergent learners, and to building safe, soul-strong learning spaces, I feel a deep, personal responsibility to speak out. Not from a place of politics, but from a place of love.

Let me be clear: I am neither Republican nor Democrat. I have voted for both parties in my lifetime, and I will continue to vote based on what I believe is right—issue by issue, soul by soul. And this issue? This is a human issue. A heart issue. A rights issue.

Autism is not a condition to be tracked. It is not a problem to solve. It is a way of being. A radiant, diverse, complex way of being.

History warns us what happens when we start compiling lists.

In Nazi Germany, detailed medical registries of disabled individuals paved the way for mass sterilizations and killings under the T4 "euthanasia" program. In the U.S., the eugenics movement led to over 60,000 forced sterilizations of people labeled "feebleminded" or "unfit." In Alabama, Black men in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study were tracked for decades without consent or treatment.

In each of these tragedies, registries were justified by the belief that science and policy could fix people, rather than love and understanding supporting them.

Have we not learned?

Instead of surveillance, let us offer support. Instead of categorizing people by diagnosis, let us honor their gifts. Let us amplify neurodivergent-led research, fund inclusive education, and provide real, community-rooted care.

One of the most life-changing resources I’ve encountered is a podcast called The Telepathy Tapes. It cracks open the world of non-speaking autistic individuals and reveals the power, depth, and brilliance living within. If you have ears to hear, it will change you.

So, no. I do not support an autism registry. And I ask that you do not support one either.

Because the greatest registry we could ever build is one of respect. Of belonging. Of being seen and celebrated as whole, as worthy, as wildly capable.

To every autistic person: You are not to be tracked. You are to be treasured.