Beyond the Binary Brain: Exploring the Depths of Neuroqueerness
My neuroqueer identity helps me reimagine the spectrum of cognitive diversity
I always sensed my mind worked a little differently than the minds of those around me.
As a kid, I had a quirky sense of humor and out of the box way of thinking. Though generally quiet at school or in larger groups, I could become talkative and passionate about topics that interested me. There were relatively few people I felt comfortable engaging with in this way, though.
At 18 I came out as gay, and at 21, I received my ADHD diagnosis — but it wasn’t until recently that I came across the term “neuroqueer.”
A briefer for those unfamiliar: neurodivergence refers to the natural variations in neurological structure and function among human beings, including conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others. Most commonly, it’s used to refer to ADHD and autism.
Neurotypical, in contrast, refers to individuals whose neurological development and behavior align with the typical or expected patterns in society.
According to editors of ADDitude:
“Neuroqueer is a relatively new term used to describe individuals who are neurodivergent and queer, and to address a…
