Musings: Why gray can speak to autistic voices

Autism is finally getting the acceptance it deserves — it was once a mental disorder that was mocked and neglected. It is now considered to be beneficial to society. With autistic characters making more appearances in the media, and individuals with Asperger’s syndrome accomplishing incredible things in the business world, it’s time to create a new symbol for autism. Being an autistic writer and artist, I propose that the ideal symbol would be a gray rainbow.

There are many reasons why a rainbow with varying shades of gray would fit the autistic community. While there are existing symbols for autism in the form of multicolored puzzle pieces, a colorless symbol would help to visually distinguish it from other communities.

Folks on the spectrum tend to be monotone. Many of us speak with a flat affect, like robots. The visual analog of monotone? Monochrome.

Also, people with autism are characteristically obsessive and single-minded. Businessmen with Asperger’s syndrome usually become successful because they have no life outside of their careers. This bland method of thought is an advantage, like how a black and white painting can be more intriguing than a colorful painting.

And neurodivergent individuals often tend to be alone. There are benefits to being a loner, like there are benefits to having friends; neither is right or wrong. Grayness signifies that solitude is a choice.

Many fictional characters fit a grayscale profile; here are three:

The Terminator, who often exhibits autistic traits, is a metallic skeleton. He is emotionless in gray-silver.

Derpy Hooves, the unofficial mascot of “My Little Pony,” is a gray Pegasus pony with off-kilter eyeballs. She too is neurodivergent and is celebrated for being different; she arguably has more admirers than the main cast members of the show.

Finally, Wednesday Addams of the hit Netflix series “Wednesday” wears shades of gray, black and white. She is notoriously interpreted as autistic, delivering flat insults and behaving in odd manners.

An honorable mention should go to Entrapta of 2018’s “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,” an autistic engineer whose ensemble features dark violet (not gray, but close enough).

The LGBTQ+ community has a rainbow flag, and feminists have a purple flag.

Isn’t it time neurodivergents, especially people with autism, identified themselves? A gray rainbow doesn’t need a pot of gold at the end. Being autistic is already a gift.

— Larry Chan, Flushing, Queens