gender issues

I feel like it's hard completely seperating gender identity issues from the general social context of how we form our sense of self - an endless process really it seems.

I find it hard to imagine how autism won't have at-least a small impact upon this: given that it's defining biological characteristic is something that manifests in the vast majority of social interaction.

No answer really - it's a complex issue! :)

Hardly one limited to autistics either.

What I would say with hindsight is follow your gut instinct.  I took my daughter to the gender clinic meetings and when they asked what I thought, I told them what I thought.  That included saying things I don't think my daughter would have been happy with at that point but I honestly believe it was for the best.  It's drastic to go through hormone and surgery treatment so make sure you don't mistake feelings of "not feeling like fitting in" with feelings of gender dysmorphia, which in retrospect are similar but so different and potentially life changing.

Thank you all for your insights.  Its such a complex issue and I am comforted by the fact we are not alone with this issue.  I want my child to be happy and at peace with him or herself and I will fully support either way, its just vital that we get it right and dont just cause more issues and heartache.

to reply as a parent, my daughter had serious gender issues.  She didn't express anything until she was at university, was supported by me and her dad and has since decided she is a ***.  Its hard as her mum to talk about it, but I think she's very happy now.  I've heard before about people with Aspergers feeling they have gender dysphoria because they "feel different", so I'm not surprised.

Can I approach this from freud libedo,, which states your sexual libedo will awaken by an observation. Say your mums legs, or the neighbours backside,,etc,,, even can be a non-sexual object..

My thoughts are, that autism development is belated in libedo due to spectrum emotional aging being behind, you don't notice the opposite sex until older, or even at all(asexual),, so in a way this good for sexual health, because it means that the flower blossoms late and very natural. For me,, I love beauty that is natural and my ideal woman would be a goddess, unfortunately not many of them about, but in my dreams.

Hope ~ everyone is a female in the womb, you get a motheral ejection of testosterone levels during womb development to derive the sex of the baby, if one ejection only,, you become female, if two ejections,, you become male. If one and bit (due to motherally stress) you become a hybrid aka ***/homosexual.  The high amount of testosterone will correlate to a system ah intellectual of reason, the male high mind thinking pattern which is correlated to rigid and linear thinking which you see in autism. So in a sense female aspergers is a would be ***.

The asexual mind, I find interesting because this is androgenous, will is a demi-god mind.. which has twined with its soul flame by a kiss of fire of bliss (Whole religions are based on this estorical third eye square).

The sexual libedo awakening can be opened and learned by exposure to peer groups, so if autistic people are not engaging with groups,, maybe there is libedo door is still closed.

You can test your libedo awakening time by asking the question, when was my first sexual acknowledgement (awareness) ? or in layman  terms what turns you on now, this will tell you about the awakening time ?

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This has come up before (eg Doubts about gender identity - late 2010 to early 2011, under Health Issues).

It seems to be a major issue affecting many people on the spectrum, but a taboo subject for discussion in here. People report ambiguous sexuality, asexuality, homosexuality and other uncertainties that seem to be fundamental to being on the spectrum. It might be related to not developing social interactions from which to learn about sexual "norms".

There's a blog site for G. E. Robison, author of that fantastic book "Look me in the Eye" which gives such a positive view of being on the spectrum; in his blog if I understand it correctly he muses on the subject partly because his brother identified gay.

It certainly needs airing. Will that happen this time? I do wonder, particularly, if parents and carers duck the issues.

I have never wanted to change sex but I do struggle with gender as a concept, and call myself 'genderless'. I am biologically female but in outlook I am more into 'male activities', but then I think I don't really have a gender as it is all a construct anyway, and I just follow my interests. I am an asexual *** too (yes, there is such a thing!), so do not experience 'female desire' for the opposite sex. I like talking with men in  in my family about fancying other women, who they might fancy too, but then they look at me as if I were odd. I sometimes wish I were male, but I quite like being a woman at the same time, just not a conventional one.