We placed songs from our “Chronic Neurodivergent Depressed Queer Punk” and “Pluralism Rocks” playlists throughout stimpunks.org, tying them into our advocacy. They collectively serve as a Public Service Announcement, with guitar.
The music:
- Spare Me From the Mold by Gossip
- Neurodivergent by Rabbit Junk
- Standing in the Way of Control by Gossip
- Keep On Livin’ by Le Tigre
- Out of Tune by Josephmooon
- Tunnel Vision by Grumpster
- Roots by Grumpster
- Manic Depression by Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers
- Imaginary Numbers by Feral the Earthworm
- Different performed by Miley Cyrus & Joan Jett, written by Joan Jett
- Rebel Girl performed by The Linda Lindas and Bikini Kill
- All Hail Open Doors by Swamburger and Scarlet Monk
- Call to Arms by The Attack
- The Curse by Solillaquists of Sound
- Bad Reputation by Joan Jett
- Every Right Now performed by Ian Nice, written by Ronan Boren & Bill Paige of Josephmooon
- Know Your Rights by The Clash
- Turkish Coffee by BALTHVS
- Old Friend (Stay Alive) by Laura Jane Grace
- Last Song by The Bobby Lees
- True Colors performed by stories ft. Kenton Chen, written by Cyndi Lauper
- You Learn performed by the Jagged Little Pill cast, written by Alanis Morissette
- Malfunction by Steam Powered Giraffe
- As If We Existed by Solillaquists of Sound
- Stronger Than You performed by Estelle
- Rainbow Connections by Garfunkel and Oates
- Androgynous performed by Miley Cyrus, Joan Jett & Laura Jane Grace, written by Paul Westerberg
- Don’t Leave Me Gravity by Skating Polly
Everything that was normally supposed to be hidden was brought to the front.
Punk subculture – Wikipedia
- Spare Me from the Mold
- Neurodivergent
- Standing In the Way of Control
- Keep on Livin’
- Old Friend (Stay Alive)
- Last Song
- Malfunction
- Different
- Rebel Girl
- All Hail Open Doors
- Call to Arms
- The Curse
- Bad Reputation
- Out of Tune
- Roots
- Tunnel Vision
- Manic Depression
- Imaginary Numbers
- Every Right Now
- Know Your Rights
- Turkish Coffee
- True Colors
- You Learn
- As If We Existed
- Stronger Than You
- Rainbow Connections
- Androgynous
- Don’t Leave Me Gravity
- Playlist
Spare Me from the Mold
And I say what I mean
Spare Me From The Mold
If we were not threatening to the social order in some way, there would not be therapies designed to control how we move our bodies and communicate.
THINKING PERSON’S GUIDE TO AUTISM: On Hans Asperger, the Nazis, and Autism: A Conversation Across Neurologies
Neurodivergent
Please complete this simple task Push the buttons just like we ask This step first and that step last Over and over and do it fast I’m watching everyone, feeling like a simpleton Why can’t I get it done? I just want to scream and run I don’t think like you But I’m the one that’s called abnormal This construct Was built by petty tyrants
Am I on the level yet? (Level yet) How did I do on your little test? Get my brain to reset (Reset) 'Cause everything you say is static Do I make a good pet? (Good pet) Obey the commands or get the back of the hand 'Cause the world wasn’t built for a brain like mine Change my mind, change my mind, change my mind
This construct Was built and can be dismantled We stand together We think apart We stand together We think apart -- Neurodivergent by Rabbit Junk
Until ABA updates its scientific methods, its functions of behavior, and incorporates modern day psychology – including neurology, child development, educational psychology, and other vital research – it cannot be considered to be a safe, effective, or ethical field.
Behaviorism is Dead. How Do We Tell The (Autism) Parents? » NeuroClastic
Standing In the Way of Control
Because we′re standing in the way of control We will live our lives -- Standing In the Way of Control
We are marginalized canaries in a social coalmine and Rawlsian barometers of society’s morality. It is deeply subversive to live proudly despite being living embodiments of our culture’s long standing ethical failings.
Our non-compliance is not intended to be rebellious. We simply do not comply with things that harm us. But since a great number of things that harm us are not harmful to most neurotypicals, we are viewed as untamed and in need of straightening up.
One of my favorite anecdotes from Asperger’s thesis is when he asks an autistic boy in his clinic if he believes in God. “I don’t like to say I’m not religious,” the boy replies, “I just don’t have any proof of God.” That anecdote shows an appreciation of autistic non-compliance, which Asperger and his colleagues felt was as much a part of their patients’ autism as the challenges they faced. Asperger even anticipated in the 1970s that autistic adults who “valued their freedom” would object to behaviorist training, and that has turned out to be true.
THINKING PERSON’S GUIDE TO AUTISM: On Hans Asperger, the Nazis, and Autism: A Conversation Across Neurologies
Keep on Livin’
I would like to honour all the autistic people who survive the care system somehow.
All those who survive extreme ‘therapy’.
All those who are brought to their knees, reading hellish descriptions of their loved people.
And all who did not survive this onslaught.
Ann Memmott PGC🌈 on Twitter
We serve our loved people so we can keep on living through the onslaught.
Look up to the sky, sky, sky Take back your own tonight You'll find more than you see It's time now, now, get ready This is your time, this is your life and This is your time, this is your life and This is your time, this is your life and This is your time, this is your life and You gotta keep on (Keep on livin!) Gotta keep on (Keep on livin!) You gotta keep on (Keep on livin!) Gotta keep on (Keep on livin!) You gotta keep on (Keep on livin!) Gotta keep on (Keep on livin!) You gotta keep on (Keep on livin!) Gotta keep on (Keep on livin!) -- Keep On Livin'
Old Friend (Stay Alive)
Staying alive is a lot of work for a disabled person in an ableist society…
Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the 21st Century
Please stay alive Please stay alive Please stay alive Please survive Please survive -- Old Friend (Stay Alive)
Last Song
I watch you dancin' and I watch you cry I watch you look up and Scream out why Oh now my dear you got So much to give I heard them talkin' and You're gonna live So hold me closer and Hold me tight A little closer till we're Into the night Cause you and I we've got So much to give I heard them talkin' and We're gonna live That's right It's alright — Last Song, The Bobby Lees
of all the sounds i’ve ever heard
death is the loudest
i wandered, lost: poems
Malfunction
I know that pluralism is our reality. I know that Neurodiversity is one of the most powerful ideas of our generation, and that Neurodiversity friendly forms of collaboration hold the potential to transform pathologically competitive and toxic teams and cultures. I know Autistic forms of communication within a neurodiverse team and within a psychologically safe environment impart a collaborative advantage to the entire team. I know neurodiversity, the social model of disability, and intersectionality are urgently needed reframing necessary to equity and inclusion.
Creed
Raise your hand if you’re not from a mold (yeah me) Varied strings are worth more than gold Mah-ah-ah-ah-ahl function away Mah-ah-ah-ah-ahl function away Malfunction! Malfunction! Malfunction! ... Their Malfunction isn’t us, it’s all the clamor and the fuss
I’m about to pick you up get you back up on your feet you don’t need to worry love Even if we’re incomplete Come on baby open up Pull out the wires and trim the fluff Be yourself sounds so cliche But hey let's do it anyway
Different
All we did was refuse to believe that we were the problem.
Rolling Warrior: The Incredible, Sometimes Awkward, True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution
Have you ever taken flack from the bullies on attack Cause you're different They laugh and call you names But that ain't no badge of shame Just cause you're different People gonna stare, you unsettle them and scare ’em Cause we're different
Walking down the street When you pass they Take a peek There's something different Live your life outside the box Blow off all the empty talk They focus on the things you're not Just walk your walk
Rebel Girl
This isn’t just a story that disabled children will love; it’s a story about what is possible when we fight for ourselves and each other. It is a story about how tenacity, strength, the power of community, and the willingness to fight for what matters can start a revolution.
ROLLING WARRIOR: THE INCREDIBLE, SOMETIMES AWKWARD, TRUE STORY OF A REBEL GIRL ON WHEELS WHO HELPED SPARK A REVOLUTION

That girl thinks she's the queen of the neighborhood She's got the hottest trike in town That girl, she holds her head up so high I think I wanna be her best friend, yeah Rebel girl, rebel girl
There have always been, like, women in it, and queer people, and people of color.
That community is also something really cool about punk.
Eloise Wong of The Linda Lindas
BECAUSE we are interested in creating non-hierarchical ways of being AND making music, friends, and scenes based on communication + understanding, instead of competition + good/bad categorizations.
BECAUSE doing/reading/seeing/hearing cool things that validate and challenge us can help us gain the strength and sense of community that we need in order to figure out how bullshit like racism, able-bodieism, ageism, speciesism, classism, thinism, sexism, anti-semitism and heterosexism figures in our own lives.
RIOT GRRRL MANIFESTO
All Hail Open Doors
Generally punks can agree to the loose notion that “punk is an attitude/ individuality is the key.” It was a yearning to be different, to distance oneself from the mainstream mass of society. But punk was also a desire for community, a hunger for fellowship with like-minded souls…
Dissertation or Thesis | We accept you, one of us?: punk rock, community, and individualism in an uncertain era, 1974-1985
Opening doors has become my calling.
Welcome to this house.All Hail Open Doors, Swamburger and Scarlet Monk
Find your people.
Until one day… you find a whole world of people who understand.
The internet has allowed autistic people- who might be shut in their homes, unable to speak aloud, or unable to travel independently- to mingle with each other, share experiences, and talk about our lives to people who feel the same way.
We were no longer alone.
7 Cool Aspects of Autistic Culture » NeuroClastic
Call to Arms
This is a call to open arms
Lay down your guard, lay down your guardA call to arms is what you need
Call to Arms, The Attack
I’m calling on you to sing along with me
How can we cultivate spaces where everyone has that soaring sense of inclusion, where we can have difficult and meaningful conversations?
Because everyone deserves the shelter and embrace of crip space, to find their people and set down roots in a place they can call home.
“The Beauty of Spaces Created for and by Disabled People” by s.e. smith in “Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the 21st Century“
The Curse
And I’m doing
The Curse, Solillaquists of Sound
Better, every day
Because of those who stay aware
That we’re as great as we make
And not all differences need to be so
Explained
Access intimacy is also the intimacy I feel with many other disabled and sick people who have an automatic understanding of access needs out of our shared similar lived experience of the many different ways ableism manifests in our lives. Together, we share a kind of access intimacy that is ground-level, with no need for explanations. Instantly, we can hold the weight, emotion, logistics, isolation, trauma, fear, anxiety and pain of access. I don’t have to justify and we are able to start from a place of steel vulnerability.
Access Intimacy: The Missing Link | Leaving Evidence
Bad Reputation
I don’t give a damn ’bout my reputation
Bad Reputation, Joan Jett
Never been afraid of any deviation
And I don’t really care if you think I’m strange
I ain’t gonna change
…punk rockers belonged to an international cohort in the 1970s seeking new sources of belonging as trust in traditional sources of community waned. With its increased emphasis on self-actualization and self-definition, the 1970s – and punk rock – therefore marked a critical juncture in the history of the self in America. Punk rock began as simple efforts by individual, unconnected people to make music that fulfilled them, something they hoped might revitalize the music industry. Over time, these discrete and disparate people and labors grew into a subculture whose music, publications, art, and lifestyle became a powerful critique of not only the music business but also the family, institutional authority, suburbia, dominant gender mores, and mainstream consumerism. Aesthetically diverse, a punk sensibility valued individuality above all else and allowed participants to be alternately angry, cynical, ironic, or hedonistically joyful. Despite punk rockers’ best efforts, these attributes they wore on their sleeves – individualism, apathy, hedonism, and irony – could not mask their very strong desires for existential meaning, a yearning to belong to something worthwhile. Punks came together in an inherently unstable community celebrating individualism.
Joan Jett, guitarist for the Runaways, a proto-punk Los Angeles band, voiced the feeling of innumerable punk rockers by stating, “A defining moment for any teen misfit is finding others like yourself, even if the only thing you share is the feeling of not belonging anywhere else.” Alice Bag, also of Los Angeles, described punk as being “like the Island of Misfit Toys” because it contained “all these people that had been ostracized and … had been considered geeks and nerds in school.” But “you put us all together, and we felt accepted, and we felt like we were in an environment where we could thrive and be creative without being criticized.” In these two quotes lies the central tension of punk rock: it was built on individualism and an anti-hero ethos, yet expressed itself as a community. The motivation for punk was individualistic artistic expression, but the glue for the subculture was the experience of finding like-minded misfits.
Dissertation or Thesis | We accept you, one of us?: punk rock, community, and individualism in an uncertain era, 1974-1985
Out of Tune
Lately I’ve been feeling out of tune out of tune I don’t know why but I would like to know why And I want to get back in tune Out of tune that’s what I am Being out of tune pains my head (can’t get out of bed) Hurts from being out of tune and I just so want to get back in tune Out of tune that’s what I am out of tune --Out of Tune
Roots
A long-standing and influential theory regarding disability is the “social model,” initially advanced by Mike Oliver. The social model argues that “disability” does not reside within individuals, but is actually created by a mismatch between social structures and individual capacities. These structures can include obvious physical barriers (such as stairs, which could make it impossible for people in wheelchairs to enter a school or workplace by themselves), but can also include intolerant social attitudes which make it very difficult for people who don’t act in a manner that is considered “acceptable” to participate socially or avail themselves of community resources.
British human right activist Liz Sayce has specifically extended the social model to explain much of the disability that is experienced by people diagnosed with mental illnesses, and has argued for the establishment of “inclusive communities” to facilitate greater community participation among these individuals.
Source: Punk Rock and the Dream of the Accepting Community | Psychology Today
Any time I think I feel at home again I hit the ground running 'til I'm gone I've spent the past few months stuck in my own head Just 'cause I can't connect with anyone My legs are restless, eyes are heavy, set me free From this feeling I have learned is discontent I'm out of gas, I'm out of cash, but now I see I was never really broken I was bent -- Roots
Tunnel Vision
When I opened my eyes this morning There's only one thing I could say It was "Dammit, I'm awake." My bedroom walls were closing in And my chest was getting tight Tunnel visioned, there is no light Knocked down, face down, into the ground What's wrong with me? Anxiety Breathe in, breathe out, without a sound There's nowhere for me Anxiety -- Tunnel Vision
Manic Depression
It’s about rejecting pity, inspiration porn, & all other forms of ableism. It rejects the “good cripple” mythos. Cripple Punk is here for the bitter cripple, the uninspirational cripple, the smoking cripple, the drinking cripple, the addict cripple, the cripple who hasn’t “tried everything”. Cripple Punk fights internalized ableism & fully supports those struggling with it. It respects intersections of race, culture, gender, sexual/romantic orientation, size, intersex status, mental illness/neuroatypical status, survivor status, etc. Cripple Punk does not pander to the able bodied.
what are the principles of cripple punk? Are there any rules?
'Cause I can't help what my head is telling me I can't stop myself from listening Manic depression Yeah Endless obsessions Yeah No I can't help what my head is telling me I can't stop myself from listening Manic depression Yeah Endless obsessions Yeah -- Manic Depression
Imaginary Numbers
Hey, you ever stop to think that maybe we're all different? Or that you can't just throw every student into the same system Just examine resources and where they're placin' em
I'm just saying there's different students out there facing some pain It's completely unfair to expect that they would behave the same But go ahead, make it harder for one and watch them play the game
So real shit? I wrote this for the outcasts What you have to offer is worthwhile, don't ever doubt that -- Imaginary Numbers
Every Right Now
I think we need a rebellion of what I call the “caring class,” people who care about others and justice.
DAVID GRAEBER VIA THE BEAUTY OF COLLABORATION AT HUMAN SCALE
Every right now Is the next chorus And everyday is a bright new day Every right now Is the next chorus And we can all do something good --Ronan Boren of Stimpunks and Josephmooon
Create more anti-ableist spaces.
Let’s act to hold ALL spaces accountable for providing care and access to disabled folks with all types of bodies and minds.
JEN WHITE-JOHNSON
We can start building more accessible, care-centered communities now. We can combat ableism now. We can lay the groundwork for a world that works better for all of us.
DR. SAMI SCHALK ON TWITTER
Know Your Rights
This is a public service announcement… with guitar!
— Know Your Rights
You have the right to food money Providing of course you Don't mind a little Investigation, humiliation And if you cross your fingers Rehabilitation -- Know Your Rights
Disability systems rely on artificial economies of scarcity. Programs are underfunded, so caregivers, teachers, social workers, and disabled people themselves are all pushed to project their needs as necessary and virtuous.
I Shouldn’t Have to Dehumanize My Son to Get Him Support
Turkish Coffee

Stressed out? Trying to climb the ladder to Safe & Social? Restore equanimity with the track below from BALTHVS.
Image credit: Trauma Geek
True Colors
There is room for all of us to play our part. And whatever we do, however we do it, we can do it with ‘loud hands’ and ‘loud voices,’ and loud whatever else we need, in whatever way that works for us individually or collectively. Let us be our real autistic selves, loud and proud, and show the world what we truly are.
Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking (p. 125). Autistic Self Advocacy Network

True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow
You Learn
Wear it out (The way a three-year-old would do) Melt it down (You're gonna have to eventually anyway) The fire trucks are comin' up around the bend
You live, you learn You love, you learn You cry, you learn You lose, you learn You bleed, you learn You scream, you learn
You grieve, you learn You choke, you learn You laugh, you learn You choose, you learn You pray, you learn You ask, you learn You live, you learn
-- You Learn
As If We Existed
We make things that help people, and we won’t make things that harm people.
Move carefully and fix things.
What if love said: Hear me out a bit before the future comes around.
What's the problem with my genius? Too attached to ever leave it Silent for the new achievement but What I long to witness is the equal shift Of lifted gadgetry to intuition by Genius giving up its selfish tact And bringing praise of spirit back (Hey) Pay respect upon the debt incurred By non-belief when soul was speaking Called simplistic by a name familiar to Those regulars who think intelligence a competition Missing opportunity to be a real show embarrassment The care is not The care is NOT spewing tools to ax the problem Rather asking have or how they aptly solve themselves
... What if love said: Hear me out a bit before the future comes around ... This isn't anger, no, it's passion so let's live the way we should As if we existed "As If We Existed" by Solillaquists of Sound
Stronger Than You
Fostering healthy pluralism, which democracy demands, means confronting intolerance.
Chrissy Stroop
I know you think I'm not something you're afraid of 'Cause you think that you've seen what I'm made of Well I am even more than the two of them! Everything they care about is what I am! I am their fury, I am their patience I am a conversation! I am made o-o-o-o-of Lo-o-o-o-ove, o-o-o-o-ove And it's stronger than you Lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove And it's stronger than you Lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove And it's stronger than you Lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove, lo-o-o-o-ove -- Stronger Than You
Rainbow Connections
A rainbow doesn't choose to be a rainbow It just shines in the sky To all of you in darkness We're here turning on the light Now I stand with you for the world to see My love, my dreams, and me My love, my dreams, and me -- Rainbow Connections
“Everything is politics”, but the code of conduct is not about an advance of progressive/left-wing politics. It’s about establishing a minimal level of civil and professional collaboration. Civil, non-discriminatory, and professional behavior should be a baseline and shared value held by people of all ideologies, regardless of political affiliation (with the obvious exception of hate groups).
Contributor Covenant: Frequently Asked Questions about Contributor Covenant
When social spaces are designed without concern for all groups of users, the space will become an echo chamber of ideas and perspectives from a narrower range of people.
ADL Social Pattern Library | Inclusive Social Spaces – ADL Social Pattern Library
Androgynous
Genderpunk: a colloquial term for culture and resistance against gendernormativity; an identity that in and of itself is a resistance against gender norms, homophobia and transphobia, oppression and societal status.
Your gender has nothing to do with your eligibility to be genderpunk. If you agree with the mindset, no matter how you identify, you can be a part of the movement.
Source: Have A Gay Day : What is ‘Genderpunk’?
Don’t Leave Me Gravity
Dive in, don't you roll over Don’t you promise your lungs to the fights Starving, hardly knew Mozart Don't you know he was never quite right He used to see craters, in her head He used to be darling and cheap But no one believed him When he said he lost his strength I am moved by fancies that are curled Around these images and cling The notion of some infinitely gentle Infinitely suffering thing Zombie eyes are promising Crooked teeth are sweet Don't leave me gravity Don’t leave me gravity
He used to see craters, in her head He used to be darling and cheap But no one believed him When he said he lost his strength I always believed him When he said he couldn't find his feet I always believed him When he said it didn't feel complete I always believed I always believed Breathe Breathe I always believed him 'til he made it back to our beat
-- Don’t Leave Me Gravity
Playlist
All videos as a playlist.
- Spare Me from the Mold
- Neurodivergent
- Standing In the Way of Control
- Keep on Livin’
- Old Friend (Stay Alive)
- Last Song
- Malfunction
- Different
- Rebel Girl
- All Hail Open Doors
- Call to Arms
- The Curse
- Bad Reputation
- Out of Tune
- Roots
- Tunnel Vision
- Manic Depression
- Imaginary Numbers
- Every Right Now
- Know Your Rights
- Turkish Coffee
- True Colors
- You Learn
- As If We Existed
- Stronger Than You
- Rainbow Connections
- Androgynous
- Don’t Leave Me Gravity
- Playlist
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