Gender Critical Autistic Voices - Anonymous Interview

Anon

Ireland

Age 45-54

Female

Diagnosed autistic

What was your childhood and puberty like as an autistic person? Do you relate to today’s youth’s challenges or gender issues? If you grew up in today’s age, how do you think that would affect you and your sense of self? Do you think it’s easier or harder to be a child or adolescent in society today?

Childhood was difficult. I didn't have any gender issues at all. I was a "tomboy" but nobody ever suggested I was anything but a girl and I never considered myself anything but a girl. But this was the 80s, 90s, and trans wasn't really a thing then, and neither was the internet which is where the social contagion mostly happens. We didn't even have SPHE classes which might have confused me. I think things are very different now with the trans agenda pushed from all sides. It's hard to know if I'd have fallen for it if I was growing up now. I think not, as I have always been a believer of facts over feelings. I also had conservative parents so I wouldn't have been influenced by gender issues by then, and if I was influenced from the outside I think they'd have had a lot to say about it.

Why do you think autistic people may struggle with identity issues, like Gender?

It's difficult for me to understand how an autistic person would fall for this ideology. I know the old adage of: "If you've met one autistic person, you've met just one autistic person", ie that we are all varied in the extreme and different autistic traits predominate in different people. I know for me, I'm the science / maths geek type of autistic person so facts are key above anything else. But those who are more artistically inclined probably succumb to feelings more. Autistics also tend to hyperfocus so if an idea enters their head they'll run with it and if that idea is gender issues then it becomes imbedded. There might also be a certain amount of: "Well, I'm so different anyway, I may as well just lean into it" which applies to some autistic people, but for me I always preferred to blend in to a crowd instead of standing out (whether that was good for me or not is a different question!)

Do you think being undiagnosed autistic can lead people into searching for answers about themselves, and potentially stumbling into the wrong place for an answer?

Growing up autistic and feeling different - how do you think this plays into believing you are trans?

Yes, before I was diagnosed (mid 40s) I was looking for an answer. I questioned a lot of things, my sexuality, my beliefs. I don't ever remember questioning my gender though, even though I'm fairly unfeminine. I guess a lot of autistic people need a fixation and if they stumble upon trans then that's what they get fixated on, but it probably could be anything that they happen to stumble upon instead. I think there's also an element of liberalism / leftist bias to being trans. I consider myself fairly liberal in a lot of ways, and I could see how autistic people might think: "Well, liberals are about social justice and I hate to see injustice [a very common autistic trait], therefore I must believe what the other liberals [aka far left, aka woke] believe in which is that trans is perfectly normal." I also think that if society were more accepting of "effeminate" boys and "butch" girls (for want of better terms) then it wouldn't push people into thinking that they were born in the wrong bodies. I think we need to be more accepting of gender non-conformity without falling to the idea that you can actually change the gender (or sex) you were born with. Eg: it's okay to put your baby boy in pink, but that doesn't make him a baby girl.

Do you FEEL like a man/woman? Is being male or female a ‘feeling’? Does being autistic effect how you feel about yourself or how others perceive you? Do you think Interoception and Alexithymia (or any other autism traits) play a role in understanding yourself?

No, I don't feel like a woman, I just am a woman. An autistic woman who identifies as non-binary said to me once that she never felt like a woman. But I found that ridiculous. Of course she felt like a woman. She was a woman therefore whatever she was feeling was what a woman felt like. There is no one way to feel like a woman. Trans and non-binary and gender-fluid nonsense seem to confuse the terms "feminine" with "woman". Sure, I get that this non-binary woman never felt feminine, I've never really felt feminine myself. But that doesn't mean that she didn't feel like a woman. Being autistic does affect (not effect!) how I feel about myself and how others perceive me. I am often treated poorly by others, and have difficulty interacting with others (actually autistics and neurotypicals are equally difficult for me). It's led to a lot of anxiety and social isolation for me. I don't feel like autism is the direct cause, but it definitely is an indirect cause because of the lack of awareness the world has about how to deal with us, and the pressure where it is us who has to make all the compromises and they never do. I definitely relate to alexithymia but I don't think it hinders me understanding myself, but hinders me explaining myself. And why therapy has always failed me.

Do you think searching for answers about yourself, and finding out you are autistic, is similar to the trans experience? Do you feel a kinship to trans experiences? What is the difference with our experiences? What age were you when you felt you had developed mentally and emotionally?

I've never had the trans experience so I don't really know. I don't think it is the same. I don't feel a kinship. I think that we will forever continue to develop mentally and emotionally so I doubt I will ever reach the age when I felt it is complete.

Why do you think the cohort of patients in Gender Clinics has changed so dramatically in recent years and is now mostly young females? And many of them presenting with Autistic Traits?

The internet, hyperfixation.

How did you become Gender Critical? How have you been affected by Gender Ideology? Did something specific cause you to think differently about this topic? How have your beliefs changed? Is Gender Critical Transphobic?

I have had arguments with friends about trans issues, so it has affected me in that way. I find them deeply upsetting. They tend to either see it as not really that big an issue, or have actively argued against me, when I feel that they have no right to because they have only a passing understanding of the subject whereas I have looked into it a lot closer. It feels very unfair for them to make blanket statements about things they know nothing about. I suppose I became gender critical when it started making the news more. Maybe around the time Jordan Petersen was arguing about the insistence on "correct" pronouns being used for people. Before that, I still never thought someone could change sex, but it was such a minority view that I didn't take much notice. "Transphobic" is such an odd word anyway, like "homophobic" or "islamophobic", these aren't real phobias at all, just a "dislike of" so I object to the term being used regardless of what the topic is. But if you mean: "Is Gender Critical anti-Trans" then I guess it is, but I do not feel guilty for being anti-Trans, because being anti-Trans is being pro-science and pro-facts and pro-truth.

No.

Have you lost friends, family, or a sense of community, since being critical of gender narratives? How have people around you reacted to you being Gender Critical? Do you feel your voice has been silenced? Have you been bullied, trolled, banned etc for being GC? Is GC welcome or tolerated in Autism Spaces? How do you think this affects you, or people in the spaces?

Yes, I gave some examples earlier. GC is certainly not welcome in Autism Spaces. I participate in Zoom calls with two groups. One always mentions how they are "inclusive" but this makes me feel angry because I always think that they really mean "inclusive on our terms" and I was called a fascist for saying that, on top of autistic masking, I feel I have to politically mask too (I didn't even mention which particular area of politics). Two out of three of the regular moderators are non-binary females, which I think is an over representation of trans people in their organisation. After the fascist comment I've not dared to speak up again. I even joined a break-out room held by one of the non-binary moderators where they spoke about trans and autism just to see if I could learn anything to help me empathise more, but I just was as befuddled as before. The other group I belong to is not quite so bad, but does ask (not demand) that pronouns be added to our names so that the moderate can address us correctly. I have not had any GC discussions beyond that. But there's nothing in either organisation's websites that mention anything about protecting vulnerable autistic people from falling down the gender ideology. I think that if a greater than average number of autistic people were joining Scientology or other cults, then they'd be all over protecting the vulnerable, but they don't seem to care about us joining the trans cult. Many people in the groups I attend have spoken about finally "finding their tribe" after years of looking, but honestly, there is such a sense of masking my politics that I don't feel like I've found kinship at all. Oh, and when I was getting my diagnosis, the psychologist asked me my pronouns, which, if I was in a better place, emotionally, I might have kicked up a fuss over, but didn't have the wherewithal to do it at the time.

Do you think Gender Affirming Care is another form of Eugenics? Do you think Autistic people are being targeted? Have you heard of Spectrum 10k and the backlash from the 'Autism Community' about claims of 'eugenics' and preventing the Autism gene from being passed on (screening pregnancies for autism)? Why do you think there isn't backlash about sterilising autistic children under Gender Affirming Care?

Not by my understanding of eugenics. I know when I attended therapy I felt like everything I was told was about how to act "normal" in a neurotypical world, and I did come to the conclusion that they were trying to suppress my natural traits (I and they wouldn't have necessarily known I was autistic at the time) and "convert" me to being a "normal" neurotypical person. I felt that it was probably quite like the conversion therapy gay people can be subjected to, where you're asked to deny your traits and force yourself to be something you're not. So, in that sense I'm in favour of a ban on conversion therapy for gay people. But, I don't think it is the same for trans people. I don't think it is helpful to them to affirm their dysphoria. We don't tell an anorexic: "Yes you are fat and should lose a few more kilos", we try and get them to see the truth. And I think that the same applies for people with gender issues. Therefore a blanket ban on conversion therapy for both gays and and trans simply wouldn't work, because it should be banned for the former but it should not be banned for the latter. I've never heard of Spectrum 10k. I think there is a general consensus among the public that autistics have something wrong with them. I don't think there's anything wrong with being autistic, it's just a different wiring to the brain (certainly in "high functioning" autistics), and the "wrongness" is only a matter of perspective. If autistics were in the majority, then it would be the neurotypicals that would seem to have the "wrong" brain wiring.

Do you think the Autism Organisations need to acknowledge and take on board The Cass Report? Publicly?

Do you find it professional, alarming or suspicious that they haven't?

Yes, they should and it's certainly a worry that they have not.

How important is an Autism diagnosis, and does it stop being important if someone is questioning their gender?

I don't know. I think gender dysphoria should be treated and discouraged whether the person is autistic or not.

What do you think the future of autism politics looks like if you consider and compare “Self Diagnosis of Autism is Valid” & “Self Declaration/ID of Gender Identity”?

I do worry about how many people appear to be autistic nowadays and I am sceptical. I worry even when there is a formal diagnosis as I'm not entirely confident that clinics aren't just declaring people autistic too. I even doubt my own diagnosis. But I may be way off the mark. Maybe the autistic number really is as high as it is. And maybe that's a good thing, because if we're not such a tiny minority any more then maybe we won't be seen as so "wrong" compared with neurotypicals.

Do you think it's OK to allow children to transition? Do you think it's OK to allow adults to transition? Do you think pausing puberty is OK to do? Do you think children can consent? Do you think children are being told the truth?

It is not okay for children to transition. Adults can do as they please, but they should not expect the world to recognise their new gender. Pausing puberty is not okay. Children cannot consent. I think children, and their parents and adults are being told a biased version of the truth.

Do you think there is a Social Contagion issue with Gender Ideology?

There is definitely social contagion with gender ideology.

Do you feel “safe” in “Safe Spaces”? Do you think Gender Critical is included in Inclusivity and Diversity spaces? Is Gender Critical a Protected Characteristic/Belief where you live?

I do not feel safe in "safe spaces". I would be too frightened to challenge anyone who appeared to be using the wrong space, or who held flags or slogans. Gender critical is definitely not part of DEI, and nor is it a protected characteristic.

Should LGB separate from TQ+? Do you attend Pride Events? What do you think about 'Kink' be added into Pride Events?

I never understood why T was added. L, G and B are all sexualities. T is about gender. They are not the same category. Even if I was an ally, I'd still say it should be separate as they are different things. I also think Intersex is different again as DSD is a biological anomaly and 99% of people with DSD do actually have a sex that they can belong to (regardless of who they are attracted to). I don't attend Pride. I have no problem with gay pride, and I was looking at photos of some of the earliest Gay Pride events and everyone just looked like ordinary people. Now Pride is about men dressed as babies or little girls, men in furries, men in leathers and chains, men in drag. It's departed from its origins as simply gay pride. I'm not against drag as a form of entertainment, and I'm not against kink between consenting adults in private, but I do not want to see them in marches. I actually think modern Pride Events show a bad example to the more conservative countries in the world. I think places like Russia see images from these events and double down on persecuting their gay communities for fear of what they might become when your normal average gay person is just getting on with their life with no hassle and that's what should be promoted, and it would help (eventually) gay people throughout the whole world.

Do you think gender ideology frees people from gendered stereotypes or reinforces them? Why do you care about Women’s Rights or Single Sex Spaces? What do you think the public thinks Trans Rights means?

It reinforces them. A transwoman is a stereotypical version of a woman. You don't get a transwoman who dresses in jeans and boots and has short hair and no make up like I do, you have transwomen who dress in short skirts and high heels and lather themselves in make up. It's not a woman, because true women come in all types, it's a stereotypical woman. I care about everyone's rights. People can do what they want, dress how they want, so long as it doesn't harm others. Transmen usually only harm themselves, but don't really cause problems for men. But transwomen cause problems for women by taking their sporting achievements, and entering their prisons and shelters and bathrooms and gyms. I'm not anti-man. I think the bear v man meme that went around recently was ridiculous but I'd be wary of any man who wanted access to women's areas, much more than I'd be wary of the average man. Trans already have rights. They say things like: "You're denying me the right to use the bathroom" or "the right to run in this race", but they have those rights, they just should not and cannot ever trump women's rights. You can't gain rights by taking away other people's.

Have you always been interested in Women's Matters or Feminism? Do you feel connected to women? Has this changed over time? Has any good come from Gender Ideology?

No, I don't even think I'm a feminist. I find radical feminism annoying. I don't agree with gender quotas (I think if women have the opportunities then things will balance out naturally, like they have done with doctors), or with the gender pay gap (there's a myriad of reasons why women, on average, earn less than men, but it has nothing to do with being paid less for doing the same job). I just believe in meritocracy and equality of opportunity. I don't feel particularly connected to women. I've never had much in common with most of them, and generally get on better with men. I don't think there has been any good from gender ideology.

Can you tolerate and respect differing views and beliefs? Do you feel your views and beliefs are tolerated and respected?

No, I probably am intolerant to different views. But I also think that I think I great deal more than most people about my views, and therefore feel I have reached a true and accurate conclusion which I think other people do not do, and instead come to decisions on instinct, current trends, what they were taught and never questioned, and therefore I find it hard to respect those opinions. If someone can show me that they have reasoned out their beliefs and show me the logical steps that brought them to a conclusion, then I would have a lot more respect for them, even if their conclusion differed from mine. And no, I don't believe my views and beliefs are tolerated and respected, but maybe I deserve that if I don't respect others'. Having said all that, I try not to get into arguments with people when we different on topics, so any intolerance and disrespect I feel is kept to myself.

Do you feel you have the skills to articulate your boundaries to others and be understood and respected?

I do not have skills to articulate boundaries. I am a people pleaser, sometimes passive aggressive, but never agressive-agressive, and try not to hurt people's feelings so I will keep annoyances and anger to myself rather than articulate them.

Do you think Trans is a real thing, that Gender exists, or that it is Psychological or Mental Health Condition/Disorder or a Trauma Response? Or something else?

Trans doesn't exist, as in, people can't be a gender different to what they are born with. It is most often a psychological condition akin to anorexia. It is sometimes (in the case of AGP) living out of a fantasy with no real belief that they are in the wrong gender (despite what they say). Gender is related to sex. I don't see any discernible distinction.

Do you think Women (or men) should be criminalised for wanting and trying to maintain Single Sex Spaces? Should Lesbians be allowed to associate with other lesbians based on Sex, not Gender Identity?

Nobody should be criminalised, but the solution is for it not to be a crime. Everyone, whether straight, gay or lesbian should be allowed to associate with the sex of their choice and not be misled or tricked into dating someone who is not of that sex.

Do you think the Autism Spaces are ideological about gender and that is having an effect on people in the groups?

They are ideological but I don't know if it's having an effect on people in the group (other than me).

Are you concerned for Trans people who are not part of the ideology being tarnished by the movement? Do you think Trans Rights Activists (TRAs) speak for all trans people?

I think a trans person who is quietly living their life and not infringing on other people's rights should be free to continue to do so. I think the extremists do themselves and the more moderate elements no favours at all. I think some trans people do not associate with the TRA movement (Caitlyn Jenner for one).

Do you think comedy is important when dealing with sensitive/hot topics like gender?

Should Comedians be censored?

It depends on the comedy. I loved Ricky Gervais' piece about women: "You know, the old fashioned ones, not the new ones with beards and cocks". It was funny. I don't really think there should be boundaries when it comes to comedy, and anything goes if it's funny, even if it was on the other side of the argument. Everybody's free to not listen to someone if you disagree with them, but people should say what they want. This was a bloody long survey and I'm knackered now.

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