Autistic and transgender: the intersection of two minority identities Over the past decade there has been a noticeable increase in transgender visibility in the media writes researcher Ashe Yee.
A NUMBER of high-profile celebrities have come out which for many people was their first exposure to what it means to be transgender. There has also been an increase in transgender research. One interesting finding of this research is that autistic people are much more likely to experience gender dysphoria and to identify as transgender than their neurotypical peers. “Your experience of the world is really different so it’s always in conflict. I was seen as being in the wrong, but it was like ‘I can’t be in the wrong’, it was really debilitating! Add to that seeing gender differently and WHOA! Autistic people can end up with mental illnesses because they’re being told their truth doesn’t exist and that’s really scary” – Zain Strang, Powers Knauss, & Sibarium (2018) estimated that between 6.3% -13.3% of youth referred to clinics for gender identity purposes were autistic, which is approximately 10 times higher than rates of gender dysphoria in neurotypical youth. Furthermore, the Counting Ourselves study (Veale et al., 2019); the first comprehensive national survey into the health and wellbeing of trans and non-binary people conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand, reported that one-infive of the 1178 participants (22%) described themselves as neurodiverse. The question was not specifically about autism but goes a long way in highlighting the neurodiversity within the Kiwi trans community. Being both trans and autistic is a very unique experience. It is no secret that transgender people face a lot of prejudice and discrimination as they move through the world, from misgendering and denial of their identity, transphobic hate speech, physical and sexual violence, and even discrimination in employment and healthcare. Autistic people can also face similar forms of social, workplace, and healthcare discrimination and prejudice. People who are both trans AND autistic can therefore face a kind of “double
Much like with autism, gender is a spectrum, and no two people are exactly alike. You are valid, you are not alone, and you are loved. discrimination” that results from existing in the intersection of two marginalised identities. Here’s a quick little primer of some of the terms used in this article. Sex generally refers to a person’s biology, e.g., what body parts they were born with, what their chromosome combination is, and what their general pattern of hormones are. Of course, this is not an exact science either, as there are people born with XXY chromosomes, there are people born with a mix of sex characteristics, and some people naturally have hormone levels way outside of the average range for their sex. Gender on the other hand is a social construct that is often discussed in terms of masculinity and femininity. When you think of gender, think of the ways we perceive ourselves and others, how we dress, how we express ourselves, and the behaviours and roles we consider ‘girly’ or ‘manly’. That is gender in action. In other words, sex is physical, gender is a feeling, identity, or manner of expression. When someone’s sex and gender match up, e.g., they are assigned male at birth, and they identify as a man, they are cisgender. When someone’s sex and gender do not align, e.g., they are assigned male at birth, but they identify as a woman, they are transgender. For some people, their gender identity lies somewhere between feeling mostly masculine or mostly feminine. A person who feels this way may describe their identity as non-binary, e.g., not entirely male or female, but a mixture of both or neither. Trans people may experience gender dysphoria which refers to feelings of discomfort and distress at their body or their presentation not matching their gender identity. Dysphoria is common; however, it is not a requirement for being trans.
ALTOGETHER AUTISM JOURNAL • 2021
Continued on page 14
13
