Take part: Autistic Gender Critical Voices

[NeuroPoppins]

Hi everyone, I'm putting together an article for my blog about what autistic ppl would like to say to other autistics about how they've been treated for having GC views.

Like being banned from groups, dog-piled, censored, trolled, branded hateful, shamed etc. About maybe feeling you've had to leave the groups and find a new place. Whatever experiences ppl have had. Maybe even personal guilt for not speaking up sooner, or for seeing others be silenced and not sticking up for them because it would have been too overwhelming for you to do. Help ppl see that you can admit these things and you're not alone.

I'm thinking I'll make an article with different quotes from ppl. Maybe turn some into Slides/Infographics so they're more likely to be shared around to help reach more ppl who might feel the same. Or see it and see the consequences for having been the persecutors damning us.

If anyone has anything they'd like to say or add to it put it here in the comments

Will all be done anonymously so no one will be named etc. No worries if you don't want to add anything, that's fine too.

I can't post a link to my blog as it will get marked as spam but you can just search my name Neuro Poppins and you will find my blog so you can check me out first. I've done Autistic Interviews before where I included questions about gender and published gender critical voices to show that there are autistic ppl who do not agree with gender ideology. I'd like to help raise our voices so I'm thinking up different ways to do so.

(I don't monetise the blog either btw, so I'm not making any money off this. I do it because of passion.)

Feel free to ask me any questions if you need more info

All of this is so awful, I'm so sorry you're going through this. It's tearing many families and relationships apart. People don't know what to do anymore and just 'go along with it' out of fear of being seen as wrong otherwise. It's leaving the rest of us fighting a battle and being vilainised for just stating facts and caring. It's infuriating. I hope in time things can get better with your family x

Thank you. I've never written before though so this blog is a new experience for me. I'm improving every time I write though. It's been a real challenge for me to try to articulate, but I just can't sit still anymore and need to find a way to help change the narrative in this madness. X

There's obviously so many complicated issues being discussed here.

I'm an autistic woman who has always felt completely suffocated by gender stereotypes and biases.

I also have long term physical illness, and so brain inflamed/ autistic behaviours (made worse by my illness) have been widely misinterpreted as being "weak and girlish" by men and women. Men and women still would rather make gendered assumptions like "ditzy" or "stupid female" rather than get to know me and understand disability better. I've been denied health treatment and never getting any of the support I've needed throughout my life.

But to the point. I believe that many people, autistic or otherwise, would be far far happier without men and women being socially conditioned to fundamentally misunderstand and actively repel each other. And that many of us are far similar to each other than maybe some of us even know. HOWEVER.

I have a different view to those here. I believe what transgender people experience is absolutely real and can't be dismissed or defined in some other way. I believe there is some genetic explanation for it. Hopefully there are scientific researchers out there who are truly open and unbiased and want to get to the truth.

I feel extremely empathic towards actual transgender people, who really have the whole world against them, tearing them apart basically every moment of every day. Because of many experiences I've had in my life, when people tell me their experience they have lived over a lifetime, I have a duty to believe them.

Do you think this is some easy thing to just chuck out there into the world? People marginalised like this are, from my experience, incredibly thoughtful and self aware, often very grounded too. They're not stupid or deranged.
I am not dismissing the impact on autistic or other young people who are influenced and wonder if they are trans, when they are not and this is not the right path for them. Good therapists who have no ulterior motive would obviously be very important here.

Regarding one of the comments on this thread: I also have no doubt that some dangerous people exist who either pretend to be trans, or use the fact that they are trans to sexually assault in female spaces. But basically saying that trans people are by nature perverts or mentally ill/deluded is catastropically wrong to me. They are attacked left right and centre by all kinds of different groups for different reasons and I know I would eventually go mad if I was subjected to that.

I feel it's really wrong to deny someone's experience. These are incredibly deep, heavy, shared experiences by people, who have always existed. I strongly believe that transgender people's experience can absolutely not be dismissed across the board as a phase or confusion, or manipulative tactic. I think it's extremely abusive, more than you could maybe ever imagine. The suicide rate for transgender people is also astronomical which I think should tell us that what we are doing to them is extremely wrong.

My opinion: the world is of course incredibly complicated and sometimes we can think we're being logical about something when actually we don't know enough and might be trampling on others. All transgender people aren't to blame for other people failures to take care of others.

Transgender people are NOT marginalised.

Thanks for posting some interesting interviews and information, I came across this thread because I have just been looking on the autistic girls network website for my DD and was 😞at how many books on autism are intertwined with Gender Ideology. It feels like they're lumped into the same bag so it was quite a relief to then read some of your interviews!

Totally agree with this.

If anything, it's the opposite - they seem to be considered extra special beings who can do no wrong in the eyes of the current orthodoxy. Not only that, but also many 'activists' (and odd concept in itself to my mind) feel they have the right to blight the lives of others who don't believe the dogma. And all this while being cheered on by lots of people who think they are 'being kind' at best, disingenuous more often.

It would not be surprising if that became the reason for the tables to turn. And then there might be real prejudice (and still not marginalisation as they couldn't be more 'mainstream' if they tried).

I think it's important to remember here that these are just snippets of information from individuals and doesn't give a complete picture of anyone's full understanding or beliefs.

I for instance, have trans friends and I refer to them with their preferred pronouns etc and I've been at their side for almost 2 decades seeing their struggles. I am very sympathetic towards them for their social and self struggles. The world is very progressive and trans ppl are majority accepted and have had all the same rights as everybody else (they even got rights before homosexual ppl did) for a long time. The rights being 'fought for' now are creating hostile environments for us all as they are demanding removal of women's rights and changing laws that criminalise women for needing obvious boundaries. Sex matters. A separate entity, whether gender or anything else, doesn't change the fact that sex matters. Sex matters in many spaces and time. Denial of this is does nothing progressive for society. Trans activism wants to shut down any research into trans identities, they say it should not be studied or understood, you should just simply accept it. But we are a progressive society build on thirst for knowledge and understanding, so it is regressive to put a stamp of bigotry on those who are striving to understand.

You say 'I believe there is some genetic explanation for it. Hopefully there are scientific researchers out there who are truly open and unbiased and want to get to the truth." - there are ppl researching this unbiasedly and they are demonised. TRA's do not want this research, they shut it down and demonise it. They try to debunk all the research and studies that come out. They are the opposite of progressive and understanding.

They demand compliance with their belief system, and that's simply not OK. Be trans, ppl don't care. But you can't demand compliance from the world to take part in your belief system and change the laws of society.

I believe trans is created in the mind. Generated through lived experiences that cause it, not innate. Why do you think autistic ppl are more likely to be trans? And why do you think detransitioners are often autistic? Do you also want research into this? Because TRAs don't!

Labelling gender critical views as transphobic is regressive and causing problems. TRAs need to stop creating this war, GC ppl are not causing it. It's unhealthy and GC shouldn't be demonised. Everyone can coexist harmoniously without having our rights stripped away. No one cares about ppls identities, we are all simply human.

You say "... use the fact that they are trans to sexually assault in female spaces. But basically saying that trans people are by nature perverts or mentally ill/deluded is catastropically wrong to me." - there is research into this that TRAs are trying to shut down. So far, from studies, it is indicating that trans ppl are more likely to commit violent and sexual offenses compared to the general male population. Why?

They don't want to research the cause of trans, nor do they want to research the effects. And yet they want to put trans identified males into women's prisons. How can this be done without research into it? And why is the research being shut down when it comes out? These are enormous changes. How is this progressive? What are your views on this?

If trans is innate, then are their tendancies for violent and sexual crimes innate too? This should be researched! I do not believe trans is innate, therefore I do not think they are innately sexually violent - so what IS the root cause? We must first know the beginning before we can understand the end. The root cause has ripple effects. We can not understand the ripple effects without defining the beginning. This research is imperitive, why is it being shutdown?

Thank you. I completely understand, I have felt relief myself from doing the interviews and hearing other autistic ppl talk about this. I felt very alone before. I'm not sure how long my blog will be shown on the autistic girls network for, but I'm glad I am currently on there. I've recently been shut out of a few autism groups and had posts removed. I'm screenshotting it all and will make a nice article about it eventually :) ha.

I'll be doing more interviews /discussions in the future too. I think next on my list is reaching out to autistic detransitioners and GC trans ppl, I just need to formulate the interview questions when I have the brain energy.

Agreed. King Critical on YouTube does fantastic videos, you might like him! Highly recommend 👍

I'm going to be posting a series of Thought Provoking Questions on my Facebook page at some point soon, to try and get conversations going. All views and opinions are welcome. I don't have many followers so I'm waiting until there are more before I start it so that there is more chance of different comments. These discussions get shutdown in the groups so I'm just going to start having public conversations instead. Hoping lots of diverse opinions will be shared to make it interesting and multi layered. Trying to penetrate the bubble!

Feel free to follow so you can add to the convo, or simply observe if you don't feel up to taking part (I understand it is not easy for most ppl and also having jobs/relations at risk too).

Great stuff, Neuro. I've just followed you on FB.

I'll have a chance to look properly once DD is back at school next week when I actually get some uninterrupted time.

That was a great conversation between @internetforumname and @NeuroPoppins Thanks both.

This is the kind of exploration that really unpicks everything.

I don't agree with all the comments but that's not really the point. The point is to keep talking and (for the purposes of this specific part of the wider gender identity conversation) to understand why so many autistic people are on a pathway to medical transition.

My DS is 20, autistic and quite a big name in the gaming community. He wouldn’t talk to you, as he is extremely socially awkward and shy, but I can tell you what he’s told me.

To paint the picture: He is very much gender critical. The fact that people cannot change sex is just a fact to him. He is also a really lovely, inclusive, laidback guy who accepts everyone and thinks racism, sexism, ableism etc. is ‘stupid’. He just can’t get his head around any kind of discrimination or hate.

He feels he cannot ever talk about his views with friends his age or within his online community. It’s anathema. It would instantly lead to friendship fallouts and being trolled and ostracised within his gaming community. He has seen it happen to others.

So, he doesn’t really speak out. He ignores the issue online and on his social media. He just doesn’t want the grief. The only thing he’s ever stood up for was JK Rowling. He said online (he has a lot of followers) that he refuses to cancel her because some people don’t like her views and thinks she has done nothing wrong and is an amazing writer. Interestingly, he got about as many ‘likes’ and positive comments to that post as he did negative. So not all vicious ‘you’re a transphobic fascist’ stuff (although some - one famous American gamer blocked him after that!).

He talks to me, his Dad and also (also GC sibling) about it only, otherwise. He is very thoughtful and measured in the things he says, but there us a a steely and determined belief that biological sex is fact, not feels, at the core of his beliefs.

I am very proud of him.

Interesting article here by Christina Buttons who is autistic. Talks about today's conversation

https://open.substack.com/pub/buttonslives/p/the-end-of-a-top-science-journals?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3auw24

I am sorry your son has to go through that, it's such a difficult situation where ppl have to compromise themselves and their beliefs or censor themselves instead. I'm glad he can talk with family. I don't blame him for choosing to not state his views as the repurcussions could be too much.

I too am very inclusive and caring towards others and always strive to understand - especially marginalised groups of ppl. I'm drawn to injustices and feel so deeply I forget myself whilst I'm overwhelmed with others plights. It was a hard realisation for me to read Helen Joyce's book and realise what I'd been so unaware of and even contributed to.

Hi everyone, I've been creating & sharing GC Autistic infographics.

If anyone would like these to share pls feel free to share them, especially if you can link it to any of my social media pages :)

I have more on my Facebook page @ Neuro Poppins

Thank you. Hope you are all doing well xxx

Hi everyone I'm working on a new set of interviews and would love to hear any suggestions for what sort of questions you'd like to see in the interviews. All based around Autism, Gender, Gender Critical and Gender Ideology.

Once I've put the questions together I will do an announcement to let ppl know they can do an online interview. Can be done Anonymously.

open.substack.com/pub/neuropoppins/p/gender-critical-autistic-voices-collaborative?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3auw24