{"id":31306,"date":"2017-08-15T08:35:07","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T12:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/?p=31306"},"modified":"2017-08-15T08:38:42","modified_gmt":"2017-08-15T12:38:42","slug":"fight-on-space-unicorns-disabled-people-destroy-science-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/2017\/08\/15\/fight-on-space-unicorns-disabled-people-destroy-science-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Fight On, Space Unicorns: Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

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And now, a vital guest post from Michael Damian Thomas,\u00a0co-editor of Uncanny Magazine along with Lynne M. Thomas, who wants to talk about their\u00a0daughter, the political state of America, and the mission\u00a0behind the new Disabled People Destroy Science-Fiction series — you will find the Kickstarter for that right here, so go click and go give<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

The above picture is of my daughter, Caitlin, at her appointment to pick up her ankle-foot orthotics on November 8, 2016. Earlier that day, Caitlin voted with me. As we waited for her orthotist to finish grinding the orthotics to fit her, I told her our candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, was about to become the first woman president.<\/p>\n

That was her smile about HRC\u2014a smile so magical I had to take a photo to share with the other HRC supporters in our lives who were about to experience this historic moment together.<\/p>\n

Twelve hours later Caitlin was in bed, and we were all in tears.<\/p>\n

Not because history was missed, but because we knew what this could mean for Caitlin\u2019s life, and the lives of so many other people. A corrupt, treasonous, hateful, asshole conman was now going to be our president, with a Republican-controlled legislature. A man who made it very clear when he mocked reporter Serge Kovaleski how he felt about disabled people. A man who had no problem cutting off his own nephew\u2019s 18-month-old child from medical insurance\u2014a child with infantile spasms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Caitlin had infantile spasms. It\u2019s a main marker of her Aicardi syndrome<\/a>. They\u2019re violent, rare seizures that made her infant body fold repeatedly in half, causing brain damage with each spasm. They would happen over and over again (the worst series went for 45 minutes before the paramedics got Caitlin to the ER). The medicines which finally controlled her infantile spasms cost our health insurance $18,000 per month. Thankfully, we had insurance without lifetime caps and access to a Medicaid program, which was codified through the Affordable Care Act. This kept us from going bankrupt.<\/p>\n

We have walked that fine edge of financial disaster for her entire life. Caitlin\u2019s 2014 alone cost a million dollars, thanks in part to a spinal fusion surgery that vastly improved her quality of life. And now, because of the election, these hateful GOP assholes who wanted to destroy the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act\u00a0(ADA), and so many other laws and programs for disabled people have the power to do so. Without these protections and programs, Caitlin wouldn\u2019t have been able to live with us and thrive. Others, too, saw their lives in peril. They fought. National ADAPT claimed this summer, waging civil disobedience war against the GOP<\/a>. Rooted in Rights published articles<\/a> about the political struggles disabled Americans like Caitlin found themselves in.<\/p>\n

What would happen to Caitlin if we lost? What could we<\/em> do?<\/p>\n

This was just our<\/em> story as the year started. So many different groups of people were suddenly scared and in trouble: women, immigrants, POC, Muslims, Jews, queers, women, disabled people, and so many more. (My wife and I are both queer, and I\u2019m also disabled.) As fascist white supremacists moved into power, we did Tweetstorms. We called our legislators constantly. We fought and tried not to collapse in discouragement. Often Lynne and I felt frustrated that we couldn\u2019t do more.<\/p>\n

Then a dear friend reminded us that we have a magazine. Uncanny Magazine<\/em><\/a>, to be exact.<\/p>\n

The Thomases have a history of pissing off the alt-right. Wired<\/em> named two things Lynne edited in \u201cThe Books and Stories That Sparked a Culture War<\/a>\u201d for their Sad\/Rabid Puppies\u2019 article. Milo attacked these works and Lynne\u2019s Hugo Awards on Breitbart. Some of our more political stories, like Brooke Bolander\u2019s \u201cOur Talons Can Crush Galaxies<\/a>,\u201d have gone viral and been nominated for numerous awards.<\/p>\n

This is what we do<\/em>. We help create and publish art that pisses hateful people off.<\/p>\n

We decided it was time to get even louder<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Uncanny Magazine <\/em>first started with a community coming together, which we named the Space Unicorn Ranger Corps after our Space Unicorn mascot, during our initial Kickstarter. Now, this community is getting politically active together<\/em>, which is glorious.<\/p>\n

We made an open call for Uncanny<\/em> Resistance essays. People flooded us with pitches. We published essays<\/a> that taught civil disobedience methods<\/a>, how to run for office<\/a>, how to lobby<\/a>, and personal stories about how merely existing when you\u2019re marginalized is a form of Resistance to this regime<\/a>. Science Fiction and Fantasy fans and writers came together as a community in our pages, sharing information and support for the fight.<\/p>\n

As part of this mission, we also took Lightspeed Magazine<\/em><\/a> up on their offer to continue the Destroy<\/em> series with Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction<\/em><\/a>. We brought together an amazing team of disabled guest editors:<\/p>\n