Gender Critical Autistic Voices - Muirgheal Interview
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Muirgheal
Belgium
25-34
Female
AuDHD, CPTSD, MDD, Demisexual & Mostly Straight, Leftist & Feminist, Agnostic Pantheist Diagnosed autistic
What was your childhood and puberty like as an autistic person?
I have the most loving parents on Earth, but I can't say I had a 'happy childhood', and have a pretty strong aversion, now, to that life stage. I hold no rose-tinted nostalgia for it, dislike stories about childhood as well, and I know some of my dislike/fear of children stems from having been pretty thoroughly bullied as a child, in Primary School. I was and felt very alone, and most of the positives I retain from childhood relate to solitary hobbies, travelling with my parents or experiences out in Nature or with animals.
Puberty and Secondary School were extremely hard transitions for me, that saw me develop suicidal depression and what was termed 'school phobia' (just an extreme form of social anxiety, really). I was hospitalised on a children's psychiatric unit when I was 12 years old; I was, of course, misdiagnosed, being female and living in a francophone Europe (which was, and still is to a large extent, ideologically captured by very harmful Freudo-Lacanian psychoanalysis). I was judged negatively for being GNC, for not being girly; for being a gifted nerd (whatever one thinks of IQ, that is nonetheless the terminology that was and is still used in psychiatry today) who had a special interest in dragons and SFF literature. My parents were also blamed, as is the MO with psychoanalysis; they were judged over-protective, but the reality is I sought shelter at home, because the outside world was too hostile and stressful to me, and I resent anyone who ever tries to imply my mother was at fault for my life path – she did the best she could with what she was given, and she is my hero to this day. I was also, unfortunately, groomed and raped by a teacher at this hospital, and kept into a relationship with him until I was 20 years old, and all of that also impacted my teenage years negatively, and did not help with my experiences of isolation and alienation. Though I will say that kids were, on the whole, easier to deal with as an adolescent. I wasn't friends with anyone, but got along with everyone, if that makes sense. I was, basically, a fundamentally lonely social nomad. And the fact I was also of mixed cultural heritage, with a much greater affinity for the anglophone/anglo-cultural side of it (read mostly, then only, in English, only listened to music in English, same for movies, grew up bilingual, had no native Belgian in my family circle, etc...) also marked (and fetishised) me as 'Other'.
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?
I do, absolutely, relate to young people's challenges as it relates to gender, especially when it comes to neurodivergent children and teens. That's why I'm probably the most adamantly GC when it comes to minors. I fundamentally reject TWAW/TMAM, but I don't object to adults choosing to manage their sex dysphoria with hormonal treatments and surgical procedures (as long as they are properly informed of the risks, as should always be the case in medicine regardless). I'll use preferred pronouns out of politeness, things like that (though there are always limits to this). But I know first hand how harmful medical and psychiatric abuse, or mis-care at the very least, can be. I know firsthand how emotionally immature teenagers still remain, despite perhaps having reached a degree of reproductive maturity (i.e., they can functionally procreate), because I experienced grooming and abuse as a child and teenager. And I find it despicable how vulnerable teens are being fed into a pipeline, to a pipe dream of being able to cast away all of their pain, or suffering, by modifying or mutilating their bodies.
I rejected gender at a relatively young age, but absolutely suspect I would've been targeted – if only online – for genderist nonsense had I been born 10 or 15 years later than I was. Because I was a little girl who loved LEGOs, and plastic dinosaurs (though I suppose dinos are still, relatively, gender-neutral-coded?) and reading about dragons, and playing Age of Empires II and razing cities to the ground with (cheat-coded lol) armies of trebuchets. Hell, my parents got me a little 'build-your-own-trebuchet' kit as a present when I was, what, 9 or 10? I think we were actually making some progress with not gendering children's toys and hobbies in the 90s and early 2000s, but now it does indeed feel like we've lost significant ground. It makes me sad, and worried for the younger generations. I don't know if they have it worse or better; I think it's a bit of both, honestly... history is such a complex and variegated tapestry after all.
Why do you think autistic people may struggle with identity issues, like Gender?
For a portion of the autistic population, at least, I think being autistic can give you a certain head-start in rejecting and/or questioning social norms and conventions, say things like, well, gender, sexism, or even colourism/racism. Because it just doesn't make intrinsic, instinctive sense, or, of course, because you're just not able to adhere to said norms and conventions (I suspect the specific subtype of autism, and intellectual aptitude, probably correlate to which pathway you fall onto in extremely subtle ways we're not even close to parsing). I want to make it clear I don't think this makes us superior to anyone else. You can be a brilliantly empathetic person who reject racism, sexism, classism, etc... and be neurotypical! I'm just providing what I think may be an explanation for my own, and other's experience.
But then, conversely, autistic people tend to be rigid, in thinking or, in my opinion, feeling, or varying mixes of the two (I find I personally am way more prone to black and white feeling than black and white thinking, but then I don't actually believe there is a fundamental dichotomy between feeling and thinking, it's all cognition at the end of the day), and tend to NEED structure, routine, etc... (now when you're also ADHD it gets a bit chaotic but anyway). If you don't fit into your society's gender mould naturally, even if you actually want to, then I can kind of understand how genderism could become attractive as a solution/explanation to this, especially if you don't have competing access or exposure to say, feminist-aligned writing by neuroscientists that clearly shows there are next to no intrinsic/hard-wired psychological differences between men and women (socialisation of course still being very real and impactful). I also very strongly believe sensory differences in autistic (and even ADHD) people play a strong role here. Interoception is often poor, or just wonky, baseline levels of dissociation are not uncommon in ND people at all... then we're also way more prone to being abused, and developing trauma disorders, which will then also affect our experience of being embodied creatures. I myself have regularly felt I was just a brain piloting a flesh mech. I often forget I'm female, and will be surprised by my breasts for instance, and I've known a couple other autistic women who had similar experiences. Periods, whilst uncomfortable for most if not all women, can be absolute sensory nightmares for autistic ones.
So, for me, it really does come down to: I am a woman, because I am an adult female Homo sapiens, and most of the time I forget this and am just a person. But I could see a girl being like: ""I don't act like a girl, I don't really enjoy girl-coded things, other girls reject me (negative treatment of ND individuals by their same-sex peers being another significant factor), and I barely feel my female body most of the time (or, conversely, said female body feels really overwhelming in a bad way)... maybe I'm really a boy, then?"" And vice-versa.
Do you feel you "fit in" with your own sex class or the opposite sex class? Has your perspective on this changed over time?
Do you feel you share more traits, patterns of behaviour or similarities with your own sex or the opposite sex?
Growing up, did you meet any people like you? (Such as gender nonconforming, gay, lesbian, autistic)
I feel like I fit in with my very small circle of ND acquaintances and friends, most of whom happen to be male, through no conscious decision of my own. I fit into the female sex class because it is my biological reality and, from a political standpoint, because I live under Patriarchy. But that's it. I feel uncomfortable with most people, men are objectively more dangerous... but then it's also true I have just an extra little layer of unease with women, especially if I know they are not neurodivergent, and maybe non-straight? I'm still trying to puzzle this out, because men have, objectively, harmed me much more severely than women. But perhaps it helps that I know the danger I'm dealing with, when interacting with men, especially straight ones. Maybe the fact I can be a target for sexual interest gives me a reference point I need, even if said reference point isn't positive. With straight and/or NT women, I feel bereft of signposts. What is the appropriate level of openness? What is the appropriate level of physical contact? Those female friends will hug and sleep together, but those over there would find that gay? How do I navigate platonic friendship with NT/straight women, especially given platonic friendship as a whole is difficult for me? I suspect trauma and being sexualised as a child also play a part in all of this, but it is what it is. Maybe it feels like women will more directly see me and judge me as an alien, whereas some men may still see me as a woman, and thus human (if only partly). Though in practice NT men can and will absolutely reject me as an alien too, but I guess there might be a grace period that is all I need to interact on a casual basis. I'm not sure.
In terms of behaviours, traits, etc... I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. I've definitely been castigated for not being feminine enough. I've been asked if I was a lesbian a few times. But some would also say I'm more 'feminine' in the way, I dunno, decorate journals, or like some cute things, or can display empathy. But I've also been accused of being a man, online most of all, and by other women, a few times. I'd definitely be non-binary were I a genderist lol.
The closest thing I had to a friend, growing up, was a gay boy (then man). I guess he was a little gender-non-conforming, though I can't even say I noticed it in any meaningful sense at the time, because again I rejected the idea of gender, of femininity and masculinity, pretty young. My parents also have a close gay male friend. I now realise several members of my family, on my mother's side, are varying flavours of ND (my mother is probably subclinical for ADHD herself), but I wasn't ever truly close to any of them, outside of my mother. I grew up feeling VERY alone.
Did you/do you consider yourself Gender Nonconforming? And how do you feel about it now compared to in your youth?
Do your "differences" still bother you? Do you still feel different?
I use GNC as shorthand to convey the fact I'm probably going to be/feel a little different than a certain average of women, for most people. Ultimately though, I leave it to other people to decide for themselves. I'm pretty gender-abolitionist, really. I don't call myself feminine or masculine, ever – others are free to do so, I just reject the system entirely as I see it as fundamentally harmful.
Yes, I feel different, all the time. I fundamentally like being me, but I also have CPTSD and chronic depression, I'm disabled, so I suffer from a lot of what I like to call 'relative/contextual self-loathing'. I never target my autism or ADHD with it, though, I just usually think I'm a monster who should just die, but more because I'm broken from the abuse I suffered, rather than the nervous system I was born with.
There's a logic to the development of my tastes and special interests I can trace to early childhood. So yes, there have been changes, but a lot if not most of said changes build upon things that were present early on in my life; it's an evolution, rather than a revolution. But then I have also matured as an individual and changed my mind about some things, because I realised I was wrong about them. I used to be pro-sex work, now I'm pro-harm-reduction and mostly anti-sex work, though not quite an abolitionist either mostly because I don't think it's a realistic goal. I was a lot softer on pornography as well, and am a lot more critical of it now. I'm certainly anti-the porn industry, and porn habits is a filtering parametre in dating it never would have been in the past. I also genuinely believed some relationships between minors and adults could be non-predatory (it was, really, a coping mechanism); I no longer hold any such illusion.
I suppose I was born with some character flaws that I've had to temper over time, yes. Though I guess it's just a normal part of the maturation process and is thus a positive thing.
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, absolutely. When psychiatry consistently fails you, but you keep being in pain because you don't and can't belong, you'll usually seek answers (if you don't off yourself out of sheer despair first). Transgenderism is one such answer, and I do empathise with those who feel they have finally found a solution to their woes.
Do you FEEL like a man/woman? Is being male or female a ‘feeling’?
Does being autistic affect how you feel about yourself or how others perceive you?
Like I said, I just am a woman, and feel, if anything, like myself. I honestly don't believe anyone truly 'feels' like a man or woman (though ultimately I can't know because I can't access others' minds), but I think one can feel feminine or masculine in terms of conformity and behaviour, and always in relation to the greater social paradigm.
I'm still myself, and how I feel about myself hasn't specifically changed because of the autism dx, but it does feel good to have this very important piece of data finally in place. As someone who thirsts to understand how things work, develop, change, I'm happy I have an explanation for a bunch of different things in my life. I try to be kinder to myself at times, too, given what I know about how my brain works, but that's much more of a WIP.
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 mean sure, there are parallels, since there are parallels between most forms of 'self-searching', right, though if you're driven to research autism and/or ADHD, I feel like that's just another level of feeling different, alien, out-of-place, etc... a level that might be greater than that caused by dysphoria, though again, if you're autistic to begin with, you'll probably, yeah question your relationship to sex, gender, sexuality as well, as you do everything else. Can't say I feel 'kinship', as such, no, to trans experiences, since like I said being neurodivergent is way more all-encompassing than your relationship to your 'meat suit', and my stance on gender formed pretty early on, before I was even done with puberty.
Just like many gifted neurodivergent people, I think I had a pretty 'asynchronous development'. I was quite intellectually advanced at a young age, ahead of peers, but emotionally? I'm not even sure I'm all there past 30, lol, but then... I also suffer from CPTSD that I'm only just starting to address properly; my emotional regulation is a mess but then most people close to me consider me very emotionally mature. So... I guess that was more or less settled in my late 20s? The real answer is that different parts of emotional cognition probably become mature at different ages (and regardless of neurotype, tbh).
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?
A worsening of gendered imperatives in children (probably tied to trends in consumer capitalism), some form of social contagion, and... co-optation of neurodivergence by TRAs?
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?
My feminism has, honestly, always been critical and rejecting of gender. Being critical and skeptical of gender, as I understood it, is in fact the first thing that led me to feminist theory and feminism as a political philosophy, as it is because of gender that I first experienced sexism and misogyny (before actual sexed violence, as a comparison).
I'm lucky that the current, trans-allied iteration of gender ideology hasn't really affected me personally, outside of, like, a subreddit I enjoyed being banned I guess.
My beliefs only changed in that they became even more confirmed, once I encountered the insanity of the current genderist movement.
No. Are there people who consider themselves gender critical who are also, legitimately, transphobic? Sure. But seeing gender for what it is: hierarchical, harmful and limiting impositions of trait, behaviour, moral values, etc... based on sex, and calling it out as such does not equate to wishing transsexual people harm or suffering.
Have you ever had identity related distress, gender or otherwise?
I mean yeah I'd say I've experienced distress because of gender, simply because I'm female and live in a patriarchal world. Doubly so because I'm a neurodivergent and disabled female living in an often ableist patriarchal world. I have a decently strong sense of self, but it did come close to cracking apart when I started to reckon with the full-blown truth and force of my trauma around 2020.
How have people around you reacted to you being Gender Critical?
I have trans friends who know I am GC – I refuse to lie about this. They are also ND. We either agree not to discuss these topics, or agree to disagree. I've gotten angry once or twice, because I felt like my moral character was being questioned, but ultimately I've not been booted from my social circle and I think my acquaintances and friends know that I'm a good person otherwise, even if they think I'm wrong on this issue. My partner is also much less GC than I, though ultimately he doesn't really know much about the topic or feminism beyond the bits that overlap with his own interest in (Leftist) history and politics. I've asked him point blank if he was okay with me being gender critical, and explained exactly what that meant to me, and he said yes. We don't actively discuss the topic, but there is also space for disagreements about some finer points since our core values align.
Do you feel your voice has been silenced?
I think feminist GC voices are being silenced, yes. Mine specifically? Eh I was miffed when r/GCDebatesQT was banned; it was a space I valued. I was miffed on principle when r/GenderCritical was banned as well, though I left that space before it happened as it was too vitriolic for me, and detrimental to my mental health.
Is GC welcome or tolerated in Autism Spaces? How do you think this affects you, or people in the spaces?
Depends on the space, honestly. Some autistic spaces, especially male-dominated ones, easily skew right-wing so anything goes there. I'm not really in any public autistic space otherwise but I've heard it can all be rather Woke or rah rah Queer Theory, which is regrettable if other viewpoints are disallowed.
Do you struggle to find quality information on Autism and Gender that is not ideological?
Autism, no; 'gender identity', well yes, of course.
Do you think the Autism Charities and Organisations are speaking about the effects of Gender Ideology on autistic people?
I doubt it, but I also don't know how much of the kool-aid they've actually drunk, I guess it's probably worse with orgs centred on level 1/formerly-termed Aspergers autistics?
Do you think Gender Affirming Care is another form of Eugenics?
No, I honestly don't think the 'higher ups' actually care that much/think in those terms. It's more a question of profits and lack of ethical oversight (and underfunding, as with many areas of medicine).
How important is an Autism diagnosis, and does it stop being important if someone is questioning their gender?
I'd say it remains important as a tool for self-knowledge and self-compassion, and as a means to access services, accommodations, disability (which will be hard to access regardless, right, but at least that dx will give you a foot in the door). 'Gender identity' is irrelevant to this as far as I'm concerned.
Should Gender Clinics be assessed for Autism if they note autistic traits in patients?
Absolutely. ADHD too.
Should Autism Specialists be placed in Gender Clinics?
Yes, given what we know about the patient population.
Is addressing autism/mental health exploration in gender distressed individuals Conversion Therapy?
Absolutely not, it's exercising the Hippocratic Oath!
Do you think it is invalidating to address a patient's possible Autism when in Gender Clinics?
No.
How important is it to understand your Autism when questioning your Gender?
Very.
What role might Autism play in Gender Distress/Dysphoria?
Being GNC and higher likelihood (as far as the numbers show) of not being straight, not understanding/fitting in with gendered norms, interoception and/or dissociation, and alexithymia making the mind-body connection extra complicated, higher risk of having experienced abuse and developing (C)PTSD, etc...
Do you think Alexithymia makes it harder for clinicians to get informed consent from autistic children in gender clinics? What if autism is ignored/undiagnosed?
Yes.
If Alexithymia isn't understood or taken into account in an autistic patient, what effect could that have?
Leading to medical decisions the patient is not actually able to fully process and understand.
If Transitioners find out they are autistic later down the line after transition, can/should the gender clinics be held accountable?
Yes, as I would hold any psychiatric service accountable.
What topics are important to explore to help build understanding regarding Autism and Gender?
Sexism and misogyny, and what gender means within the context of patriarchy, and how being autistic makes gender harder to navigate (for good and ill).
What are your insights/experiences with Autism, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Masking, Social Differences, Societal Perceptions, Identity, Alexithymia, Dysphoria, Autism Spaces/Community, Comorbid conditions, Sensory Processing, Mental health, OCD etc
And what role do they play in developing understanding about yourself/gender issues?
Having a body is weird. I experience dissociation regularly (both because I'm ND and because of CPTSD). I often refer to my body as a meat suit, semi-affectionately. Being a neurodivergent woman is fucking hard; it's hard to bond with men, it's hard to bond with women, you feel like an alien a lot of the time. The way I experience sexual attraction and love is also outside of the norm. I know a lot of people in GC spaces hate the concept of demisexuality, but I don't use it in a QT Rainbow Quiltbag Parade way at all (I don't think it makes me LGB, I don't think it makes me oppressed, it's just a difference, neither inherently good or bad), it's just a useful concept that helps me articulate the way I experience (or rather don't) attraction. I struggle immensely with platonic friendship; relationships that include some sexual attraction and physical intimacy are easier for my brain to process, for whatever reason. Like there's A LOT that makes me feel alien, alone, like I shouldn't be alive in this human world (it's a different story when I think of Nature as a whole though). Being different is HARD, and comes with a lot of pain, because humanity is cruel (it doesn't have to be, but that's a different story), but there's also beauty in difference – that's my insight.
What do you think the effects of Gender Affirming Care are on people questioning their gender/distress?
I'm sure it feels good to a lot of patients in the short-term. In the long-term, well... we're only just starting to see the fallout with detransitioners, and things like the Cass Report.
Considering what we know about Autistic Masking, is that taken into account when dealing with Gender Identities?
I do think gender forces a lot of us to wear a mask, if we can... then leads us to burn out.
Do you think people feel like going against Gender Ideology is akin to going against Autism or the Neurodiversity Movement?
I know some people think that way, yes.
Do you think The Neurodiversity Movement has enabled Gender Ideology?
I feel they share parallels in terms of playing fast and loose with actual material reality and experiences, but I don't know that the former 'enabled' the latter, so to speak. Queer Theory and just plain old sexism seem like much bigger culprits to me.
Do you think The ND Movement or Gender Ideology tries to legitimise the idea of Gender Identities as a neurological condition/reality?
Not really, if anything that's more of an older school transsexual medicine thing.
Do you think Gender Ideology appropriates Autism, or other NDs, as a way to legitimise Gender Identities?
To some extent, yes, and I hate it.
Do you think Trans belongs under the ND Umbrella?
Absolutely not.
Do you think Autism is being misplaced and buried under the Trans Umbrella?
Hmm, not sure. I don't really think so but I also don't like the overlap in online spaces.
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 think they are separate issues, and I think misdiagnosis or lack of access to diagnosis are much bigger issues, especially for ND women and minorities, than TikTok muppets pushing for self-dx.
Do you think Autism is losing its meaning because of Self Diagnosis?
No, I don't buy the alarmism there.
Are ALL Self Diagnoser's Autistic?
Statistically, that's basically guaranteed to be a no.
And is it comparable to Sex (Man/Woman) losing its meaning because of Gender Identities? (Compare #ActuallyAutistic & #Adult Human Female)
I don't think so, no. If anything sex is way more clearly defined and 'testable' than neurotype.
Can anyone identify as Autistic? What are the repercussions?
Well yes, but that doesn't mean I'll necessarily go with it. A lot of people who are now diagnosed, by neuropsychologists and doctors, started with a form of tentative self-diagnosis, because they actually did the research. That I have no issue with. Like I'm certain my partner has ADHD and I'd bet big money on it, and other people in his life see it too, but he is not yet formally diagnosed. I trust my judgement and experience on that one. People who decide they must be autistic and/or ADHD because they're a little quirky and don't like loud music, now that would be the instance where I won't take their self-dx seriously.
If a Neurotypical person identifies as Autistic, should they be included in autism spaces & research?
Absolutely not.
Do you think it's OK to allow children to transition?
No. Certainly not medically.
Do you think it's OK to allow adults to transition?
Yes, with proper informed consent and ethical care.
Do you think pausing puberty is OK to do?
Not according to the current body of research, no. I'm willing to change my mind though if the data supports that.
Do you think children can consent?
Yes and no, depends what we're talking about; too nuanced for a blanket response for me.
Do you think children are being told the truth?
Largely, no.
What current Q&As, or common opinions, are out there that you think need challenging or reframing? (Such as "Autistic people are more likely to be trans" or "Born in the wrong body", "Trans is innate", "Gender is in the brain", "Gender is real", "Autigender", "Neurospicy" etc)
Born in the wrong body needs to go; you're allowed to believe that privately, but this cannot be an acceptable explanation in secular society.
Gender is in the brain also needs reframing: socialisation absolutely impacts neural networks and neural development, but I largely don't believe in innate, hard-wired from birth, psychological differences between human males and females.
Autigender can fuck right off, I actually find that offensive.
Neurospicy I love and will continue to use, to refer to (my) autistic and ADHD people; I spontaneously came up with it, without even knowing it was a thing online, and I think it's cute.
What information do you think Autistic people, who are caught up in Gender Ideology, need to help them see out of the ideological thinking?
Again, stuff that counters sexist and misogynistic ideas, maybe neurological data that shows gender identity is not a thing we can prove the existence of, all the ways in which being neurodivergent can make one feel disconnected and alienated from gendered norms and one's own body, maybe promote positive examples of GNC individuals, etc...
Do you think Autistic people feel safe talking about it in our spaces?
Probably not, though again it would depend on the space.
Do you think autistic individuals need to start talking about this in our spaces?
Yes.
What do you think it will take for a shift to take place in autism spaces?
I don’t know.
Is the Trans Rights Movement similar or dissimilar to The Gay Rights Movement?
It's different, but piggybacks off of the gay rights movement.
If you are, or have been, part of LGBTQIA+, how do you feel about LGBTQIA+ now?
I'm technically bisexual: I have experienced proto-attraction to a couple of women, and have had lesbian fantasies, but have never been intimate with a woman so don't really consider myself part of the LGB community; I'm just an ally.
Should LGB separate from TQ+?
Yes.
Do you attend Pride Events?
I've been to one pride event, it was in Amsterdam a few years ago, and it was a lovely time, very nice convivial atmosphere. I'd go if invited, but wouldn't otherwise. I get the relevance of Pride from a historical and rights struggle perspective, of course, but also, if I'm honest, I do find the concept, in and of itself, a little weird, as I don't really get being proud of your sexual orientation or any neutral aspect of your being like the colour of your skin, eyes, hair, your sex, etc... if it was a more general festival or carnival of love and friendship, in all its forms, I'd find it more sensical lmao, but it's fine.
Do you think gender ideology frees people from gendered stereotypes or reinforces them?
Reinforces them 10000%.
Why do you care about Women’s Rights or Single Sex Spaces?
Because I'm female and care about fairness, justice, equality, humans not being horrible monsters to each other, etc...
What do you think the public thinks Trans Rights means?
I think most people are pretty clueless about the finer print and think it's all just about letting trans people just live and work in peace, like gay people.
What do you think a solution could be that provides for both Trans Rights and Women's Rights?
At the very least, a return to centring transsexual over transgender voices. Stopping with the non-binary nonsense and actually embracing diversity of expression for both sexes. Allowing transsexual people to be seen and considered (in most areas, I'm still somewhat undecided about single-sex spaces) as the opposite sex, but also acknowledging they aren't literally the opposite sex.
Have you always been interested in Women's Matters or Feminism?
From a very early age, yes.
Do you feel connected to women? Has this changed over time?
Not particularly, no. I feel compassion for my fellow female human beings, but it's a general, political feeling, not a personal, visceral one. I don't believe in the Sisterhood, I wouldn't ever call stranger women sisters; it's more like feminist comrades, I guess.
Has any good come from Gender Ideology?
No
Can you tolerate and respect differing views and beliefs?
Yes, within limits.
Do you feel your views and beliefs are tolerated and respected?
Sometimes, by the people who matter to me.
How important are boundaries to you?
Boundaries (that serve me) are still a WIP for me. Autistic people definitely need help with boundaries, either or both ways depending on the subtype/level of autism. Autistic children definitely need protection, as we are way more likely to be victimised/abused than neurotypical children (especially girls).
Do you think Autistic Children growing up need to know about boundaries so they have a better understanding on how to behave safely in society?
The material reality of sex and boundaries absolutely needs to be taught to children. "
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?
Sex dysphoria is real. And some people genuinely feel like changing their body to imitate the opposite sex's would help them manage said dysphoria and lead happier lives. That's very real. Gender, in the feminist theory sense, is absolutely real too. Gender identity is not, in my book. As to what causes sex dysphoria? For some, it may be a paraphilia like AGP, for others, severe trauma... and maybe there is something neurological, a body map glitch of some sort, in some individuals too, that we haven't been able to identify yet (though it won't be having the wrong sex's brain!).
Do you think Women (or men) should be criminalised for wanting and trying to maintain Single Sex Spaces? And why?
No. They are either needed because of sex-based oppression, or perfectly valid because of the right to free assembly.
Are you concerned for Trans people who are not part of the ideology being tarnished by the movement?
Honestly, yes.
Do you think Trans Rights Activists (TRAs) speak for all trans people?
Absolutely not.
Do you think trans people are in a difficult position with the Trans community because of the extreme activism happening?
Yes.
Do you think trans people feel safe speaking about these issues from a nuanced or gender critical perspective in their own community?
Absolutely not.
Do you think Trans Elders voices are being heard or are doing enough to help young people in their trans experience to understand themselves or navigate socially?
No.
Do you think fragility is being encouraged (inadvertently) in today's Trans Activism?
Meh, yes and no, though I don't really like framing it as fragility, necessarily, since I think a lot of those individuals are legitimately vulnerable and wounded, and I don't want to judge that overly harshly, given how vulnerable and wounded I am myself.
What Rights are Trans Activists fighting for that other people have and they don't? Are Trans people being denied human rights that all other people are allowed?
Perhaps fair access to medical treatment, but I don't know to what extent.
What are Trans Rights?
The right to good and ethical medical healthcare, and the right to not be discriminated against based on gender stereotypes, which honestly would benefit everyone and I feel like feminism covers a lot of that already.
Were you/are you into Cosplay, Anime or Conventions etc? And what was your experience in these spaces?
I've been to one SFF literature convention and I guess one could say I'm part of the SFF (book)nerd community to some extent; the convention was one of the best experiences of my life, but there was, yes, unfortunately, a decent amount of Woke nonsense, and like... I clearly couldn't have publicly shared GC views in that space. But I can compartmentalise and the rest of my experience was overwhelmingly positive! I'd love to do it again. :)
I've watched a few animes with my partner now, though it's not at all my primary medium; my partner filters that shit for me lmao. Cosplay is something I admire without participating in it myself (too much work, not enough time or energy).
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From what I’ve seen, I’d say that the “demisexual”, leftist, feminist, agnostic, and “pantheist” were all decided by outside forces that emotionally manipulated her, considering autism on its own with everything else being ‘normal’ gets literally no support, even from within our own community.