#autismacceptanceweek — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #autismacceptanceweek, aggregated by home.social.
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CW: you don't need permission to be trans (transphobia, authoritarianism, autism, long)
You don't need permission to be trans.
A lot of transphobia hinges on the dehumanising notion that your identity - your very sense of self - should be subordinate to someone else's self-declared authority. Transphobes present this idea that a "natural" hierarchy exists whereby who a trans person is is subject to cis people's approval.
It's been disheartening to watch the furore over GRA reform, because nobody's arguing about the actual GRA. Transphobes treat a Gender Recognition Certificate as a "licence to trans," solely because they believe there should be such a thing, controlled and restricted as it is. But that's not what a GRC is; that's an authoritarian fantasy. In reality, a GRC helps to protect your privacy: the opposite of what a licence does.
You don't need permission to be trans.
I was reflecting on my journey. I haven't "always known" I was trans, although in hindsight I was in deep denial at the signs. Where did that denial come from? I grew up in a culture that acknowledged trans people exist, but told me I wasn't "supposed" to be one of them, because the cultural presentation of trans people was editorialised, mediated, spun and distorted by cis people who, at best, didn't know what they were talking about (but in many cases were more actively and intentionally hostile). It's almost funny when transphobes spin conspiracy theories about "institutional capture" when what they really mean is "loosening the decades-long grip of institutional transphobia."
Then two things happened in quick succession. First, I was diagnosed with autism, and second, I saw a tweet that said, "If you want to be a girl, you can just be a girl."
I don't think autism made me trans; I actually think autism kept me cis for so long. Knowledge of autism, though? That certainly helped. Having an understanding that masking was something I was doing at considerable cost to my health, I started to inventory the behaviours I was slavishly following to "fit in." I started to question whether the expectations I felt I needed to meet were actually of service.
And then I saw that tweet. It's important, I think, that that tweet came from a trans person. By that point I had only had a few years of hearing trans people speak on their own behalf without cis interference, but I had already started to smell the bullshit on the stories I had been told growing up.
And she... She was not giving me permission; she was saying I didn't need permission. And in that moment I knew that one of the big masking behaviours that was holding me back was "being cis." I knew I was only being a boy because it was what people expected of me, and I knew that it was harming me, and I knew that I didn't have to do it.
You don't need permission to be trans.
I don't remember the name of the guy who said it because he doesn't deserve to be remembered, but there was a guy in gamedev a few years back who suggested that developers should try to hire undiagnosed autistic people because they're easily exploitable. All the ableism that surrounds autism about how we don't really know ourselves or what we need or what we're doing notwithstanding, it's important that he specified 'undiagnosed.' Now, for one reason and another I do think self-diagnosis is valid, so I'm not necessarily talking about clinical diagnosis, but I do think that knowing we are autistic makes a huge difference.
And that applies to being trans, too. We don't (and really, can't) know how many undiagnosed autistic people are trans because, by definition, we don't know they're autistic. By the same token, we can't know anything about patterns in closeted or especially 'latent' trans people because we don't know they're trans. When we talk about any link between autism and trans people, we are therefore talking only about the subset of autistic people and the subset of trans people who have been empowered to know themselves. That's the classic "third factor" explanation for why correlation does not imply causation.
But maybe, for allistic people, it is easier not to question it. Maybe pretending to be who they are expected to be is less exhausting and traumatic for them. What I would say to them is: Just because you find it easier than I do doesn't mean you have to do it.
And this is where I went wrong in my journey. Knowing I was autistic, knowing I had extra difficulty with living up to the expectations I felt, offered justification for questioning and in some cases abandoning those expectations. I felt like knowing I was autistic gave me permission to be trans.
But you don't need permission to be trans.
#trans #lgbtq #autism #aaw2024 #autismacceptanceweek #autismawarenessweek
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What assumptions do you wish people would stop making about trans autistic people?
Autism Awareness is vital in the Transgender & Non-Binary community.
Watch the clip from our interview with Katie Munday (@autistic.and.living.the.dream) to find out what we're talking about. Click the link: https://youtu.be/8CXSclJKB94
#AAW24 #AutismAwarenessWeek #AutismAcceptanceWeek #Trans #Nonbinary
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It's #AutismAcceptanceWeek so here's a little video I made about sensory overload, which affects me, and, oh, what's the word? SUCKS.
#autism #autistic #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #neurodivergent #Vlog
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It's #AutismAcceptanceWeek and we had a chat with Katie Munday about the benefits of online spaces for trans autistic people and what people can do to make both online and physical spaces more inclusive.
You can watch it at: https://youtu.be/8CXSclJKB94
#AAW24 #AutismAwarenessWeek #Autism #NeuroQueer #Trans #Transgender #Nonbinary #Genderqueer #Genderfluid #Queer #LGBTQIA #LGBTQ #LGBT
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"The intersections between being a trans & autistic person couldn’t be clearer. My experience was trenchantly invalidated because under the cisgender and neurotypical gaze, we are drained of any agency, autonomy or say in who we are." Fey
#AutismAcceptanceWeek #AAW2024 #TransRights #TransHealth #TransFamilies #TransMan #TransWoman #NonBinary #Transition #Trans #Transgender #Queer #LGBTQI #LGBTQ #LGBTI #LGBT #TransAlly
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It's #AutismAcceptanceWeek so I'm reposting some videos about my autism diagnosis. After my first one, I got lots of feedback, so here's the video that replied to some of the spicier comments...
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♾️Autism exists on a 🌈spectrum🌈
Everyone is different, and I love❤️ the beauty of our diversity
#AutismAcceptanceWeek -
"Being open from the start of the appointment about the emotional side of my request made it easier for me to communicate, something that can be hard being autistic, instead of trying to find the right words to say after I was already upset." Gage
#AutismAcceptanceWeek #AAW2024 #TransRights #TransHealth #TransFamilies #TransMan #TransWoman #NonBinary #Transition #Trans #Transgender #Queer #LGBTQI #LGBTQ #LGBTI #LGBT #TransAlly
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A quick reminder this #AutismAcceptanceDay: Some people are trans and Autistic. It doesn't matter why. What matters is that Autistic trans people are valued for who they are - just like any other trans person or any other Autistic person.
#AutismAcceptanceWeek #AAW24 #Autism #Neurodiverse #NeuroQueer #Trans #Transgender #Nonbinary #Queer
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It's #AutismAcceptanceWeek and we're delighted to share a new article from the wonderful Katie Munday on their experience as an Autistic trans person.
You can read it at https://transactual.org.uk/blog/2024/04/02/trans-and-autistic-navigating-several-social-transitions/
#Autism #Neurodiversity #Trans #Transgender #Nonbinary #Neurodiverse #LGBTQIA #LGBTQI #LGBTQ #LGBT #Queer #NeuroQueer
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The great irony, of course, of #AutismAwarenessDay / #AutismAwarenessMonth / #AutismAcceptanceWeek is that the voices of #ActuallyAutistic people are being drowned out by the very people who are oppressing us, silencing us, abusing us, commodifying our very bodies.
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Happy World Autism Acceptance Day!
We're so happy to be in community with you and building #autismacceptance together, especially for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ autistic people
#AutismAcceptanceDay
#WorldautismacceptanceDay
#actuallyautistic
#autismacceptancemonth #dontlightitupblue
#nothingaboutuswithoutus #autismacceptanceweek
#autistic #autisticwomen #nonbinaryautistic
#transautistic
#autistic -
It's important to remind everyone on #AutismAwarenessDay that labels such as high/low functioning, support needs, speaking, masking, etc are not helpful. These things are not static. Treating them as if they are is ableist.
Every #ActuallyAutistic person can experience variations in support needs, functioning, masking, speaking, and any other label which outsiders may see as permanent. What & how one is today isn't necessarily what one will be tomorrow. Life changes us. None of that is permanent.
Just because today I am verbal and appear to be "high functioning" to you doesn't mean that I will be so next week, or even a minute from now. While you may see me as a "success" and "well adjusted" now, next month I may be in an institution, catatonic and non-verbal.
Perhaps today I am "living unmasked" but tomorrow that can be different, depending on MANY THINGS. That being said, I may not be. We are all different. Each #autistic person has their own brain and their own life. NOTHING IS PERMANENT. Lose the labels.
But to that end, this is MY take. I DO NOT speak for all autistic people, just like no one autistic person speaks for another. Our experiences are different AND shared. Respect that & if you want to learn ONE thing during #AutismAcceptanceWeek it's that we are all unique.
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Apparently it's #AutismAcceptanceWeek and maybe I am too sensitive, but that doesn't really work for me…
Autism awareness: "OMG they EXIST"
Autism acceptance: "Okay, if you MUST"I'd love to see #AutismAccommodationWeek. (Or year.) I know it's a lot to ask because people. So maybe #AutismEducationWeek?
Anyway, this is what an #ActuallyAutistic person looks like (dedicated to people who think "you don't look autistic" is a compliment).
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"Under new rules, children & teenagers will only be referred for an autism assessment if they meet one of six criteria, including breakdown of their education placement, risk of family breakdown & having very low levels of communication linked to autism"
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/26/children-put-at-risk-as-nhs-autism-assessments-are-cut-back
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#Autism
#AutismAcceptanceWeek
#HumanRights
#Neurodiversity -
For me #AutismAcceptanceWeek still sounds quite passive.
We need a 'let's make this ableist/allistic world more accessible for all week'/year (but catchier! 😆).
The sensory overload experienced by autistic people in far too many spaces is unnecessary and only serves to further traumatise an already marginalised community.
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Forgot to mention that yesterday was the beginning of #AutismAcceptanceWeek. Reminder, do not support #AutismSpeaks and don’t #lightitblue, go #redinstead and follow #ActuallyAutistic pages instead.
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Comic © Haus Of Decline :Rainbow_ND:
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Lots being said about #ActuallyAutistic humans & #autism during #AutismAcceptanceWeek. I'm not surprised to see that our voice, the voice of #autistic people is being drowned out. If you want to be an ally of autistic people, if you want to truly normalize autism, LISTEN TO US. @actuallyautistic
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Does everyone else say "fuck you, not going to disable my adblocker" and ending up not reading an article etc, only because you have to disable the adblocker? All the ads in middle etc, make it confusing and difficult to read? @actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic #AutismAcceptanceWeek #autism
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The workbooks for zest fest have gone out to the wonderful 20 (wow - 20) people who have signed up for my very first QUIRKY BRAIN COACH group coaching workshop.
If you're coming, you can access the pdf by a link on your email or by signing in to eventbrite.
Finally, on the accessibility front: I've activated captions my end...if you need captioning, you need to turn them on your end too. You can do that with the advice here https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/4409683389709-Enabling-manual-captions
We have 5 TICKETS left for this amazing event on Friday 31st at 7pm. If you want one of the final spaces...it's time to SCRAMBLE!
#ActuallyAutistic #Autism #AutismAcceptanceWeek #ADHD #AuDHD #Neurodivergent #coaching
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It's Autism Acceptance Week. How about we make it year round, plz. :Rainbow_ND: :autism:
Comic © Mattczap @ Insta
https://www.instagram.com/mattczap -
Increasingly, it looks like #neurodiversity is a major contributor to evolution. Even the business world is starting to get it: "Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage: Why you should embrace it in your workforce" - Harvard Business Review.
I mean, why search for employees who merely *try* 'to think outside the box,' when there's a whole section of society that doesn't need to try - they were born outside the box.
@actuallyautistic
#AutismAcceptanceWeek #ASD #autism #adhd -
It's #AutismAcceptanceWeek. We don't *have* #autism; we *are* autistic. If you're not autistic, you're allistic. The reason you might not be aware you're allistic is because the world is already set up to accommodate you.
The world can only benefit from autism acceptance. We're more likely to be: Creative, methodical, accurate, resilient, honest, committed, detail-focused, analytical. We also have superior recall/memory, in-depth knowledge & are less prone to propaganda/BS.
@actuallyautistic