Trans Prevalence in the autistic community.

Trans Prevalence in the autistic community.

The prevalence of gender divergent or gender non-conforming people in the autism community is apparently a larger prevalence than in the non-autistic or non neurodivergent community. Research in this area is still somewhat sparse, but we are beginning to see more research happening into gender diversity. This is a good thing. Spectrum News published a piece that gives some good information and general understanding of where things are at, or at least were at the time it was published.

Seemingly, an autistic person is up to 7.5 times more likely to express a gender divergence than an non-autistic person. I find this incredibly interesting. As a trans woman and an autistic person there really was no other option than to explore and express my trans reality and begin the process of transition.

Many of my non neurodivergent friends and aquiantences in particular have expressed surprise and shock at my coming out and transition. I guess that is to be expected. Whilst neurodivergent friends and acquaintances have expressed surprise that my transition has been fairly quick in nature, there seems to be more of a consensus that it isn’t so weird or shocking, but, in fact an act of living out truth. An act of matching up what’s inside and what’s outside.

In recent times I’ve been wondering about this whole idea of more prevalence in the neurodivergent communities. Is it really the case I wonder or is it really that neurodivergent people are more likely or able to actually explore, think, and investigate their feelings about gender difference in a way that non neurodevergent people are not.

Is this, to use an autism stereotype, an autistic super power. And what do I mean by this. Well I think, that, this, just might be something about social constraints, or lack of them, or at least a situation of being less constrained by them.

I mean, there are so many examples we see where autistic people are portrayed in such ways where they don’t get or seem to not care for the social rules and constraints at all. You know, telling the truth about a thing when it is expected that we actually tell a lie or a less than the truth because that’s what you do when you deal with people.

Like that archetypal question from the woman asking their male partner – does my bum look big in this – socially there is no real correct answer except a socially safe one of no. But many autistics, I know I would struggle not to, would answer with an honest response of what they thought.

There is no doubt that coming out trans and transitioning is a socially massive thing to do. It is an act that breaks so many social constraints, that it really is an action taken against the social norms, because to act any other way would be to live a lie.

In a way Pandora’s box has been opened and it can’t just be shut and the stuff be shoved back in and ignored. I think, and maybe I’m being a bit presumptuous, but, I do think that neurotypical people are just more likely to be too concerned with the social rules and repercussions to do so.

Obviously not every trans and gender divergent person is autistic and therefore it’s not a reality that neurotypical person will investigate their feelings of self and gender and how that all fits together with their socialised gender and assigned sex. But the greater prevalence just might be an indicator that not being beholden to social constraints allows us to investigate and then identify our true gender expression.

Or could it be that all of this is really true because in reality being gender divergent is in fact just another expression of neurodivergence.

Whatever the case, it has me wondering, and I hope it has others wondering too as I think it would be a potent area of investigation and research.

I have no evidence or research that confirms this, so it is clearly just my thoughts, opinion and musings, but I think that we neurodivergent people are just more likely to actually examine the stuff that comes out of the box rather than ignore it because socially that is the prudent or wise thing to do.