Under The Double Rainbow - The intersection of autism and LGBTQIA+
In recent years our society has grown more accepting of differences, whether those differences be in neurology, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Many individuals on the autism spectrum are diverse in more ways than one: research has shown autistic individuals are more likely to identify as LGBTQIA+.
Contemporary research on the intersection of autism, sexuality, and gender identity asserts that autistic individuals are 6 times more likely to identify as LGBTQIA+ than the neurotypical population. Similarly, the prevalence of autism is higher among transgender people than cisgender individuals. Autistic individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+ face increased discrimination in access to care, cultural stigmas, and violence. Such experiences can drive poor mental health and suicidality, which are already high among autistic and LGBTQIA+ communities.
In particular, “autistic adults and adolescents are approximately eight times more likely to identify as asexual and ‘other’ sexuality than their non-autistic peers. And there were sex differences in sexual orientation: autistic males are 3.5 times more likely to identify as bisexual than non-autistic males, whereas autistic females are three times more likely to identify as homosexual than non-autistic females.”*
Autistic individuals are also between three and six times more likely than neurotypical people to identify as trans or nonbinary. Sadly, LGBTQIA+ autistic individuals are more likely to experience poor mental health compared to cisgendered and straight autistic people, something that many researchers attribute to minority stress and lack of social acceptance. This stress is most pronounced among those who live in non-affirming families and communities.
Risk of suicide is elevated among both neurotypical LGBTIA+ and straight and cisgendered autistic populations, but autistic LGBTIA+ youth have a substantially higher suicide risk than either of those two groups. In light of this, acceptance isn’t just the right thing to do, but rather an essential life-saving measure.
Many LGBTQIA+ autistic individuals have identified parallels between masking autistic traits to gain social acceptance and avoid rejection and hiding their sexual orientation or gender identity for the same reasons. The rainbow infinity sign was created as a symbol of neurodiversity by autistic LGBTQIA+ people for that reason.
To better support autistic LGBTQIA+ individuals, we are holding a panel presentation to validate, and listen to the lived experiences of this community. By doing so, we can learn how best to support and assist family, friends, and loved ones who experience this intersection.
We hope this conversation and resources shared are helpful to LGBTQIA+ members of the autism community and those who love and support them.
