By Karen Mizoguchi — 2021
“I can’t wait for people to laugh along with me as I attempt to make sense of some of our most pressing issues,” Jonathan Van Ness tells PEOPLE.
Read on people.com
CLEAR ALL
We’ve been taught to refer to people with disabilities using person-first language, but that might be doing more harm than good.
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Conceptions of identities are complex. We have a number of identities that manifest themselves in different environments or as composite forms of background experience. So, do neurodiverse conditions like autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and bipolar really comprise a part of a person’s identity?
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Confusion over why autism is so prevalent among transgender people may be limiting their access to medical care.
Autistic queer folk may experience struggles for acceptance in both identities.
My story differs from many others who grow up with a developmental disorder, because at the same time, I was also finding my way as a young gay man.
Things have dramatically improved in my life since high school. I am lucky that I have a family that loves me, that I have friends who support me and that I live in a progressive area like Montgomery County, Maryland. Many people are less lucky.
Studies vary widely on the percentage of people with autism who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual. One analysis suggested the rate is 15 to 35 percent among autistic people who do not have intellectual disability.