'AITA for skipping my brother's wedding after he uninvited my son who has autism?'

The internet has overwhelmingly supported a mother who decided to skip her brother's wedding after her son, Alex, who has autism, was uninvited. This emotional dilemma was shared by the original poster (OP) on Reddit's popular 'Am I The A**hole' forum.

The post, titled "AITA for refusing to attend my brother's wedding after he uninvited my son?" quickly gained traction, receiving over 1.5K upvotes and thousands of comments.

Mother refuses to attend brother's big day over son's exclusion

In her post, OP shares the backstory, "I'm in a tough spot and could really use some outside perspectives. My brother is getting married next month, and originally, my whole family was invited, including my 7-year-old son, Alex, who has autism. Alex can sometimes be loud and energetic, but he's a sweet kid and generally manages well at public events with some accommodations, which we've always handled discreetly."

However, things took an unexpected turn when OP’s brother called her to uninvite Alex.

"A week ago, my brother called me, out of the blue, and explained that his fiance’s family is worried about having a child who might be disruptive at the ceremony. He said it would mean a lot to him and his fiance if Alex didn’t attend. Instead of discussing it with me, they decided unilaterally. He assured me that everyone else, including other children, were still welcome," she stated.

Despite OP’s efforts to reassure her brother about managing Alex’s needs, he remained firm. OP shared, "I was stunned and hurt. I tried to assure him that we would take all necessary steps to minimize any disruptions, including sitting at the back and stepping out if Alex became too much to handle. Despite this, my brother stood firm."

Feeling slighted and heartbroken, OP told her brother that if her son wasn’t welcome, she wouldn’t attend either.

She added, "Feeling backed into a corner, I told him that if my son isn’t welcome, then neither am I. Now, my parents and other family members are saying I’m overreacting and that I should not miss the wedding over this. They're pressuring me to just go and leave Alex with a sitter. I feel like attending would be endorsing their discriminatory attitude toward my son. So, AITA for refusing to attend my brother's wedding after he made it clear my son isn't welcome because of his autism?"

Internet backs mother who boycotts brother's wedding for uninviting her autistic son

One user wrote, "Here's my view. Brother and fiance can say Alex is not welcome. They have that right, but at the same time, OP has the right to refuse to attend if his child is excluded. The brother and the rest of the family can not turn around and declare OP is ruining things when he is just abiding by their decision. They can't have it both ways, exclude a child but demand that parent attend to save face."

The other user wrote, "Exactly this. OP is NTA. The fact they're excluding ONE CHILD and deciding that it's okay to do that. Then acting like OP has no right to decide they're not going if their son is excluded? This is AH behaviour. OP needs a new family. I feel so bad for Alex. That poor kid hasn't done anything wrong, and if OP did go, they'd have to explain to Alex, why he wasn't going. It's just horrendous."

Another user commented, "Singling out ONE child, with a disability, inviting the other siblings of said child, and then being upset when you nope out. How ablist of your family."

"This is the correct answer. You are not at fault. If I was you I’d not attend either. Don’t let your parents or anyone else guilt or pressure you," a user said.

Another wrote, "Regardless, if you uninvite a child to your wedding you should also expect the parent to not attend."

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