Post #3608271

2026-07-05 16:20 UTC

Ten ways why being #autistic is like being #queer: 1. No one knows exactly why we are like this, but there have been people like us for as long as there have been people. 2. We did not choose to be this way. 3. The majority does not understand what our lives are really like, and probably never will. 4. Being this way isn't the problem. The problem is how people treat us for being this way. 5. We see people, life, relationships, and society differently. 6. Growing up, we knew we were different, but we didn't know why. 7. We learn early to mask our true nature, because society punishes us when we don't conform to the norm. 8. We die by suicide at a rate higher than average. We die by violence at a rate higher than average. 9. There are a lot of parents who would rather their child be dead than be like us. 10. We don't want to be cured. It's only other people who want to cure us. #ActuallyAutistic #neurodiversity

Replies (6)

@AncTreat5358@lgbtqia.space 2026-07-05 17:34

@joshsusser@autistics.life This is a great discussion on those parallels. Thanks for sharing it.

Open ##3609054
@meyltje@beige.party 2026-07-05 16:46

@joshsusser@autistics.life ...and a lot of us are both 😉

Open ##4294305
@danimo@mastodon.social 2026-07-05 16:50

@joshsusser@autistics.life Yeah, aside from that, a lot of people on the spectrum are also queer, nonbinary, or just different in other ways. The challenges they face from their surroundings somehow reinforce each other.

Open ##4294306
@punishmenthurts@autistics.life 2026-07-05 17:56

@joshsusser@autistics.life . being an egg and being a crystal glass is sort of the same because they both break when they hit a brick wall 😀 . y’all know what I want to say by now, sorry 💜

Open ##4315512
@bodkan@hachyderm.io 2026-07-05 20:46

@joshsusser@autistics.life Just a few days ago I finished reading the book “Neuroqueer Heresies” by Dr. Nick Walker and I absolutely loved it. Incredible clarity of thought and carefully crafted arguments that I will be definitely referring to in the future. https://neuroqueer.com/neuroqueer-heresies/ (In case accessing the book turns out to be challenging, it's worth mentioning that large chunks of it are based on updated essays and articles freely available on the author's website.)

Open ##4315513
@drewph@ieji.de 2026-07-05 23:37

@joshsusser@autistics.life Oof. This hit hard.

Open ##4376434