PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has a long history of extreme activism.

Now, they are using autism as a tool in their activism. They have a billboard campaign (one billboard) that takes off on the “Got Milk?” campaign with “Got Autism?”

PETA uses the idea that some groups believe dairy products are bad for people with autism. Somehow, PETA is trying to expand this (already weak) premise to milk causing autism.

Bad science and bad logic aside, using people with disabilities to promote an idea needs to be done carefully and with respect. PETA doesn’t come close on either being careful or respectful. By using autism to invoke fear, it makes it just that much harder to gain respect for autistic people.

It just isn’t right. Please PETA, stop this campaign.

A few of the blogs covering this are listed below:

The Family Voyage with Hey PETA, Got Morals?

Bev at AspergerSquare8 has Hey PETA!

Wrong Planet with Tell PETA to Stop Exploiting the Autistic Community (Got Autism Billboard).

Marla Baltes with Got Autism? Peta’s Misleading and Harmful Ad Campaign.

And AutismVox with Got Autism (asks PETA).

Many blog posts are quoting the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s message, which I quote below:

Hello all,

Recently, the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) launched a new ad campaign entitled, “Got Autism?”, misleadingly implying that the consumption of milk is associated with the cause of the autism spectrum. PETA is misinforming the public about autism and thus joining a long line of unscrupulous groups that have sought to try and spread fear about autism as a means of pushing their particular agendas.

Attempts such as these treat individuals with disabilities as pawns in the efforts of other constituencies. By refusing to acknowledge the right of the autistic community to be referred to with respect instead of as the focus of public hysteria, PETA contributes to a state of affairs which marginalizes the disability community. People with disabilities, our families and our supporters deserve better than the exploitation and fear-mongering that comes about when disability is used as a means of scaring the general populace. For millions across the globe, the answer to PETA’s “Got Autism?” question is an unequivocal yes. That should not spell the end of our lives or prevent us from being fully included throughout society. By exploiting us, PETA becomes a culprit in the social forces that marginalize people with disabilities and lead to the discrimination and prejudice that truly disable us.

Let PETA know how you feel about its choice to exploit autistic people by writing to them at info@peta.org or call them at 757-622-7382 and dial 0. In addition, we encourage you to express your support for these ads’ swift withdrawal by signing this online petition.

Regards,
Ari Ne’eman
PresidentThe Autistic Self Advocacy Network
1660 L Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036

http://www.autisticadvocacy.org

732.763.5530