Chloé Hayden

I don't want to have to be history-making.

I don't want to have to be the representation.

Have you guys noticed that we never ever hear the phrase straight white man representation?

Being the representation is tiring.

It is responsibility-inducing.

It means that I am constantly up for public debate.

It means that people tune into my social media and they either see themselves or they think it is fake and false.

It means that I am either sent messages of appreciation or daily death threats.

It means that I am constantly too autistic or not autistic enough.

It means that my support needs are constantly up for a public debate that I was not included in, despite no one having any clue what happens to me the second I get off this stage.

Contrary to what people may think of me, an autistic person who is known for being an autistic actor, mainly doing autistic roles, who is an autistic advocate for autism, I don't really want to be the advocate for autism.

And I certainly do not want to be labeled depending on how valuable I am to society.

I just want to be.

If you are autistic and you are in this room today, I need you to know that you hold so much worth and so much value exactly as you are.

I also think it's important for you guys to know as a side note that whatever it is that you are studying, whatever career it is that you want to go into, I want you to have a research of the top people in that career.

I promise you they're autistic.

But with that in mind, it is also okay to just be.

If you are not autistic and you are in this room today, I am assigning you an incredibly important job to do.

No fairy tale can end without a happily ever after, and no happily ever after can begin without a sidekick.

Be our sidekicks.