Today, I’m joined by the lovely Charlie Michael Baker, 16 year old influencer, autism advocate, and bestselling author from Lancashire, UK. Charlie rose to fame in April 2023 after releasing his debut book, ‘Charlie Michael Baker: The Influencer Advocating Autism.’ Having amassed over half a million followers on Instagram, Charlie has accomplished more at 16 than most people do in a lifetime.
Not only is Charlie raising awareness of Autism through his writing, he is also directly helping people with Autism, having donated all proceeds from the sale of his books- over £200,000-to charities around the world…
Diagnosed with Autism at the age of 6, Charlie points to the likes of Christine McGuinness as inspiration behind the writing of his books.
‘I saw her [Christine] advocating autism and I wanted to be a part of it…’
Asking Charlie what inspired him to write his books, he said…
‘I wrote my book literally as a journal. That was my voice in paper. Nobody knew what was going through my head, and now millions of people worldwide do. I feel that if I didn’t write my book, then my feelings would have just built up and caused harm to me mentally. My book has helped me as much as it’s helped everyone else. I love speaking to people that have read into my writing and found something in it.’
Charlie is using his platform as a voice for good, talking about, not only his experiences with autism, but also his experience in being bullied at school because of his differences.
‘Bullying has motivated me a lot- I wouldn’t be in this position if I wasn’t [bullied]. If someone said “you can’t do that”, I’d do it ten times over. Life is about that. There are no ‘can’ts’, there are, however, ‘won’ts’. You can do anything in life if you truly believe in yourself. As long as you’re doing right by yourself, f**k what other people think!’
In sticking with this ‘IDGAF’ attitude in which he embraces his differences, Charlie proudly identifies as a ‘Gay Autistic influencer’ online. I asked Charlie for his perspective on the parallels that exist between neurodiversity and queerness- the sense of not feeling like you fit in/feeling ‘other’ being very much prevalent in both ND (neurodivergent) and queer communities…
‘It is surfacing that there are correlations between neurodiversity and homosexuality. A lot of neurodivergent people that I’ve met are also homosexual. Being neurodivergent definitely makes you see things differently, so I think that might play some part in the process.
I’d say it’s very very hard being different in so many ways though. I’m not considered ‘normal’ in any walk of life really, so it is hard being in the public eye and having so many people watch your life constantly – but I wouldn’t change it for the world. My career has brought so many new and great opportunities with it, and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without the support.’
A big ‘up yours’ to all the people who bullied him in school, Charlie’s selflessness has seen him being nominated for awards; Forbes 30 under 30- the definitive list of young people changing the world- and the pride of Britain awards 2024, no less. It is evidently so well deserved, and I wish Charlie all the success in the world. He’s one to watch!
*You can buy Charlie’s bestselling book: Charlie Baker: Autism And Me here, and follow his Instagram page here*.
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