Autism, Neurodiversity, and Misogyny

Margo Whitlock
Jul 30, 2017 · 3 min read

I was not diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (or as it is now called, Autism Spectrum Disorder) until I was 20 years old. It was tough growing up with an undiagnosed neurological condition. I came across the neurodiversity movement and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) as well as wonderful intersectional autism activists like Lydia Brown that really boosted my morale. Unfortunately, there is a subsection of autistic men who use their autism as an excuse for their misogynistic behavior. Even worse, there are people like this professor who want to use autistic men as a tool to dismantle “political correctness.” I was planning to write an article about this problem and how the autistic community needs to address it. However, I then came across this story on medium. The author’s stance is that embracing neurodiversity inevitably means that autistic men will need to be excused for misogynistic behavior, ergo, neurodiversity must be abandoned.

I am both autistic and a woman, and I don’t appreciate having either of those facets of my identity used to degrade other facets of my identity.

Intersectionality is important. As Geoffrey Miller writes in his essay:

But together, mental disorders like these affect at least 20% of students, staff, and faculty. That’s higher than the percentage of American college students who are Hispanic (17%), Black (14%), LGBTQ+ (7%), or undocumented immigrants (5%).

The problem with this statement is that it assumes having a “mental disorder” (his words) like Asperger’s is mutually exclusive to being Hispanic, Black, LGBTQ,or undocumented. There is a persistent myth that autism is far more prevalent in men than in women. The truth is that women and girls are often better at masking their symptoms than men and boys. Additionally, research suggests a strong link between autism and LGBTQ identity.

For too long, Aspergers and autism have been seen solely as a domain of straight, white, cis men. People of color, women, and LGBTQ people who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders are largely ignored in the media. The fact that a number of autistics are in these groups means they most likely won’t want hate speech to be tolerated. The professors that Miller is defending who have come under fire for their offensive comments don’t just share the trait of Aspergers, they also share traits of race, class, and gender. Additionally, Miller himself has come under fire for offensive comments, so it makes sense that he would want speech codes abolished, even if he has to use Aspergers as a shield for his cause.

As for One Tongue Johnny, he’s claiming that neurodiversity goes against what’s best for women, even though he is not a woman. His stance that you can’t be pro-neurodiversity and pro-woman not only weaponizes women in his argument against neurodiversity (without asking women if they want to be used as a rhetorical point in his discussion), but also ignores the fact that autistic women exist and benefit from neurodiversity because we face challenges unique to being both autistic and a woman. As someone who experiences both sexism and ableism, I feel that neurodiversity is incredibly important. Going forward, our neurodiversity discussions must be intersectional and center the voices of women, POC, and LGBTQ who are on the spectrum.

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