Sia, a pop sensation known world wide decides to create a movie about autistic people named Music. This movie is about Zu, a newly sober lady who gained sole custody of her autistic half sister named Music.
This would be an excellent opportunity for her to show the world what autistic people are made of. She could have consulted autistic people and help tear down stigma. She could but she did not. She could take a lesson from how Pixar created the short film “Loop.”
Maddie Zeigler Was Not Comfortable With the Part From the Start
From the beginning, Maddie Zeigler was very uncomfortable with this part. During an interview, Sia says how Maddie was afraid the autistic community would think she was “making fun” of autistic people. Maddie was crying during the first rehearsal. Sia assured her that it would never happen and she would make sure of it. Maddie is a teen who did not feel right about this and trusted two adults to make the right call. They let her down. The autistic community does not blame her.
ICYMI: Maddie wasn’t comfortable with this from the jump. She cried on set, so upset. Sia convinced her it was good and right and she’d never let people question Maddie. https://t.co/jTQVWOXVP4
— Hell on Wheels🔥♿🔥 (@rollwthepunches) November 21, 2020
How She Got it Wrong
Sia started off wrong by partnering with Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks is well known for hate speech for years against autistic people for years. According to her tweet, she had been consulting with them for three years.
Duh. I spent three fucking years researching, I think that’s why I’m so fucking bummed.
— sia (@Sia) November 20, 2020
Sia’s partnering organization Autism Speaks took the sweep under the rug approach to this situation. They wanted to cover their own behinds. They do not need any more bad publicity with the autistic community after calling an autistic woman the C word.
Autism Speaks was not involved in the casting or production of the film, “Music.” Representation matters, and we believe autistic actors should always be given opportunities to play autistic characters.
— autism speaks (@autismspeaks) November 20, 2020
Not only has she consulted the major organization that autistic people hate, she cast Maddie Zeigler, not autistic, as the lead autistic character. Zeigler is a “Dance Moms” star and Sia’s creative partner. Because of this, she received backlash from the autistic community. This is how she responded when challenged:
I agree. I’ve never referred to music as disabled. Special abilities is what I’ve always said, and casting someone at her level of functioning was cruel, not kind, so I made the executive decision that we would do our best to lovingly represent the community.
— sia (@Sia) November 20, 2020
Instead of casting a non speaking autistic actor, she has a neurotypical and verbal woman imitating a non speaking autistic.
Then there was a response from an autistic actor:
Fucking bullshit. You have no fucking idea because you weren’t there and haven’t seen the movie.
— sia (@Sia) November 20, 2020
She had a real opportunity to create something that is representative of autistic people who aren’t seen.
Even National Autistic Society, a largely problematic organization in the UK, told her how she got it wrong.
.@sia has got this one wrong. There are so many talented autistic actors out there – like Saskia, Alex, Max, and Holly who starred in our #AutismTMI films: https://t.co/f1aWSs2nXM https://t.co/Vsts6g8728
— National Autistic Society (@Autism) November 20, 2020
Julia Bascom, the Executive Director of Autistic Self Advocacy Network had a response:
Hi cross-disability twitter! I deeply appreciate the solidarity y’all are showing the autistic community right now. I want to ask you to engage with this beyond just “they cast a non-disabled actor!” Here’s why: 1/10
— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
(1): Nonspeaking people are some of the most marginalized folks in our community. Nonspeaking actors exist, but it is incredibly rare for them to be hired, even compared to other disabled actors. This has real consequences for them, and makes them invisible. 2/10
— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
By talking generally about Sia hiring a “non-disabled” or “non-autistic” person, we contribute to that erasure. We should be centering this inequity explicitly, and naming that Sia should have cast a *nonspeaking* person. 3/10
— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
(2): Sia has said it would be “cruel” to have cast a nonspeaking autistic person. This response is specifically and deeply rooted in societal ableism against nonspeaking people and people with the most significant developmental disabilities. Name that. 4/10
— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
(3): Despite being a disabled person herself, Sia doesn’t appear to know about workplace accommodations–or doesn’t think they apply to nonspeaking people. She certainly isn’t familiar with works like Pixar’s Loop, which shows that this can be done, and done well. 5/10
— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
(4): The casting is the LEAST of our problems. Autistic people do not appear to have been consulted in any meaningful capacity on the creation, writing, or directing of this story. The script appears to promote guardianship. 6/10
— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
The actress prepared for the role by watching videos parents put online of their autistic children melting down, exploiting our most vulnerable moments. Sia is attacking and insulting self-advocates who raise concerns. The problems are endless. 7/10
— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
(5): Most of this stuff is very heavily rooted in specific kinds of ableism encountered by nonspeaking/autistic/ developmentally disabled people–and sometimes wielded against us by other disabled people. That matters. Name that. When you erase that, you perpetuate it. 8/10
— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
(6): When pieces are written about this–and they will be–I want to see them written by nonspeaking people, first and foremost. Start thinking now about how you can boost those voices. That’s what will most powerfully flip this script. 9/10
— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
(7): Let’s use this moment to promote nonspeaking/AAC user voices! Here are some powerful advocates I follow right now–if I’m missing you, drop your name below! @jordynbzim@HariSri108@endeverstar@semispeaking@SnoringDoggo@gosuperdonnie @rrw1957 @Communica1st
10/10— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
And I’m already kicking myself for forgetting folks like @AAC_Autistic! I will almost definitely be back to this thread with more folks I forgot. Please add your name if I am missing you, or others if you think of folks!
— Julia Bascom (@JustStimming) November 20, 2020
Sia did get some support. From one organization only. By who else than the NCSA? They have something to say about this but have still to make a statement about MMS.
Political correctness gone mad. @Sia, our organization @NCSAutism represents those with nonverbal autism and significant cognitive/functional abilities. We condemn this outlandish, irrational harassment of you on Twitter. We are proud of you and support your artistic choices. https://t.co/wiJwZAsavq
— NCSA (@NCSAutismOrg) November 21, 2020
What Sia Can Learn From Pixar
In 2019, Pixar created an animated short called Loop. Loop is about a 13 year old non speaking autistic girl who loves canoeing. She is in a canoe with Marcus, a neurotypical boy. They communicate and interact with the world differently. Marcus had not had a lot of exposure to non speaking
The writer and director, Erica Milsom, wanted to create it about her favorite activity. After making the film, they brought in several consultants from Autistic Self Avocacy Network. They were able to watch the film several times and give feedback. The team creating the film made the suggested changes. “They gave really helpful insight on what Rene might be experiencing or feeling.”
One example of the changes is that ASAN suggested they have Rene stimming in the canoe. They made that change. The camera was not looking directly in Marcus’ eyes to reflect that eye contact is not comfortable.
Rene was voiced by an non speaking autistic woman named Maddison Bandy. When they brought Maddison into the studio, they quickly realized this was not a good environment for her.
Instead of casting a neurotypical person to voice the character instead, they brought the studio to her home. They did the recording at her home and other places where she was comfortable. “We wanted to capture her natural voice.”
Summary
How Pixar created their film was exactly how autistic people want it done. Proper representation is all autistic people want. Autistic people want to break stigma, promote acceptance and challenge stereotypes. This is how we change the tragedy narrative.
Instead of being defensive when the community she is portraying is being marginalized even more, she should listen to what she is being told. This is how people from different neurologies and background start to understand each other.
Sources:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7541720/
https://www.facebook.com/Pixar/videos/144835243630392
Aviva Seigler 
GOODONYA PIXAR #FUCKSIA
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