We are all human and deserve to have our voices heard.
Far too often, autistics in the LGBTQ+ community fall through the cracks leading to misconceptions, stigmas, and a lack of overall services. During Pride Month in June and all year round, I stand with our entire community to receive reliable autism resources across the lifespan so each autistic individual can live the best life possible. While I’m not part of the LGBTQ+ community, growing up with autism, I’ve met many fantastic individuals in this community. Here are some ways we can be an ally for the LGBTQ+ autism community…
Helping share the stories of autistic voices in the LGBTQ+ Community.
Autistics who are people of color and/or LGBTQ+ are often underheard within our community. We still have so many who focus on the ‘Rain Man’ stigma that autism is just straight white males. Make sure to include LGBTQ+ people in our narratives as much as you would anyone else.
Spread awareness about gender identity.
Like Dr. Stephen Shore says, ‘If you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person’s gender identity, like autism, is also a spectrum. Some find validation in their gender identity, whether male, female, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, etc. All identities deserve recognition. Make sure to use the language they feel comfortable with, including but not limited to pronouns.
Don’t be a bystander.
There are still short-sided people who consider being LGBTQ+ ‘immoral,’ leading to bullying and abuse of those individuals. As we mention during October for National Bullying Prevention Month, it’s not enough to not be a bully. If you see a bullying situation happening, speak up. It could make a world of difference.
Advocate
Some in our government don’t fully embrace LGBTQ+. Hence, as we move forward, we must advocate for the rights of people of all gender identities. This is especially impact in grassroots legislation around things like healthcare services.
Have your companies embrace LGBTQ+ in their DEI practices.
I may be in the minority here, but when I’m giving talks with companies as part of professional development on the ROI benefits of hiring talented autistic people in the workplace, I see extensive conversations on all essential topics, including gender and race. Disability and LGBTQ+ fall through the cracks. Ask your ERG and DEI groups to consider professional development training around these topics if you can. When you think of onboarding, also make sure to include these topics in your online and offline literature.
I hope by taking these few actionable steps; we can make a better day for this community. Thank you.
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My name is Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum. I started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue post-secondary education. Help support me so I can continue to help students with autism go to college by making a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit here.
Autistics on Autism: Stories You Need to Hear About What Helped Them While Growing Up and Pursuing Their Dreams was released on March 29, 2022 on Amazon here for our community to enjoy featuring the stories of 100 autistic adults. 100% of the proceeds from this book will go back to our nonprofit to support initiatives like our autism scholarship program. In addition, this autistic adult’s essay you just read will be featured in a future volume of this book as we plan on making this into a series of books on autistic adults.
