The stars of Netflix‘s “Love on the Spectrum” are speaking out against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his comments about autism.
In a sit down with NewsNation “Love on the Spectrum” star Dani Bowman said Kennedy is “completely false” by saying that autistic people “will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go on a date.”
“Autistic people have the same hopes, dreams and yes, the same awkward dating moments as anyone else,” Bowman said. “To generalize and say none of us can work, date or contribute to society, is completely false. I have a job. I do pay taxes. I’ve dated. I have a master’s degree.”
She continued, “Wanting to cure autism implies that our way of being is wrong and it isn’t. We don’t need to be fixed. We need to be supported. But the answer isn’t erasing autism, it’s building a more inclusive world for all of us.”
James B. Jones shared his thoughts on Kennedy over TikTok. The Netflix reality star said that he found the statements were “extremely ignorant, and to be perfectly frank, downright offensive.”
“I am old enough, I am of sufficient age that I can remember a time when society did not have a very thorough understanding of autism or similar forms of neurodiversity,” Jones said. “So, I am very displeased, very disheartened to hear someone make comments of that nature.”
Jones added that attending special education programs was “immensely helpful” when he was young, and that they “helped me to grow and develop into the person I am today.”