Gay and autism
News and Knowledge
Sexuality and gender are spectrums, as is autism. People’s sexuality and gender identities do not necessarily conform to specific guidelines. In fact, it is more common for autistic individuals to deviate from gender norms. Gender norms are set ideas that endeavor to dictate the ways a person should execute, look, and identify based on their gender. In a similar way, autistic individuals are expected to fit a label developed by neurotypical individuals. Awareness the overlap of autism and LGBTQIA+ identities is an important step in validating our neurodiverse people. Autism serves as a gateway to gender and sexuality exploration and statement by challenging cisgender and heterosexual societal norms.
So, how do autistic individuals deviate from societal norms about gender and sexuality? According to author Laura Dattaro, “A 2018 Australian survey of transgender adolescents and young adults found that 22.5 percent had been diagnosed with autism, compared with 2.5 percent of all Australians. Some experts estimate that 6 to 25.5 percent of gender-diverse people are autistic.” The Australia
Marina Sarris
Date Revised: June 12, 2024
One afternoon, Riley Smith learned from some former co-workers that an acquaintance had arrive out as trans. Smith felt cheerful for the acquaintance, but she also felt something else. “Afterward, in the days and weeks that followed, I felt a other emotion that I recognized as envy. It led to me to seek myself increasingly hard questions about who I was.”
Assigned male at birth, Smith eventually came to realize that she is a gender diverse woman. As an autistic person, she is not alone. A higher percentage of autistic people identify as sapphic, gay, bisexual, trans, or queer (LGBTQ) than the general population, according to research studies.1-5 A 2017 Gallup poll found that 4.5 percent of Americans identify as LGBT.
Studies vary widely on the percentage of people with autism who are lgbtq+, lesbian, or bisexual person. One analysis suggested the rate is 15 to 35 percent among autistic people who perform not have intellectual disability. 2
“Most of the data that we’re seeing is that [the LGB rate] is two to three times higher,” says clinical psychologist Eileen T. Crehan, Ph.D., an
Autism and LGBTQ+ Identities – What’s the Link?
photo by Barcelos Fotos for Pexels
Many studies have shown that autistic people are more likely to identify as LGBTQ+ than neurotypical people. What is possibly behind this autism and Homosexual link? And how does being autistic and being part of the LGBTQ community impact a person?
Writer Kylie Noble explores.
Autism and sexuality
A 2021 study led by the University of Cambridge is the largest learn on the sexual activity, orientation, and health of autistic adults to date.
It found that autistic teenagers and adults are eight times more likely to identify as asexual or of “other” sexuality than their non-autistic peers.
Autistic girls and women were found to be three times more likely to name as gay than non-autistic peers. And autistic boys and men were establish to be closer to four times more likely to identify as attracted to both genders than non-autistic peers.
Autism and gender
The equal study found that autistic people are also more likely to identify astransgender or gender non-conforming.
Of the almost 600,000 adults that were surveyed, trans and non-binary/genderqueer adults were up t
Being gay
Our autism kind formats can help children and young people understand different identities. If you prefer information in a visual way, here you can read our being homosexual visual story.
The word gay originates from both Greek and Latin. The Greek “homos” interpretation same and Latin “sexual” referring to sexual acts and affections between members of the identical sex.
In 2019, an estimated 2.7% of the UK population aged 16 years and over identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB), an increase from 2.2% from the year before. Though some people feel confident in their sexuality even younger than 16, whilst others are still questioning.
What does creature gay mean?
Being gay traditionally means being a man who finds other men attractive. This is male homosexuality. But sometimes women who find the same sex attractive also use this legal title interchangeably with lesbian. According to National Statistics, being gay and lesbian are the largest community under the LGBT umbrella.
Like many others, some young people with autism, self-identify as organism gay. Being gay is not a choice. Like autism, there is no scientific evidence for ex