Wading into the Lilo & Stitch discourse: there’s a reason so many disabled & queer kids cling to this film. We’ve all been Lilo at the start of the film. We’ve all needed more than that.

Growing up disabled &/or queer means we have little family support & what support we do have is fragmented. Lilo & Stitch teaches us that we are still worthy of love & care in a found family that loves who we are.

“Nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” Imagine what those words mean to a queer &/or disabled kid w/ no family to support you & a whole world that hates you. THAT is why Lilo & Stitch is so beloved for us. It teaches us we can get better.

Lilo & Stitch has become cultural shorthand for disabled &/or queer kids. No one loves us b/c we’re weird. We’re irrational & broken from horrible experiences.

But in Lilo & Stitch, even if you’re weird & broken, there’s a way to rebuild from what was into somethjng stronger. And that is so desperately important.

When I say I have found my ohana, that is understood b/c Lilo & Stitch has become a cultural touchstone for some really marginalized folx. It must be nice to be so privileged you don’t need this film to hold onto.

If you don’t understand the importance of Lilo & Stitch, the film wasn’t made for you. Be thankful you had an easier childhood than we did.