Published on 12, July, 2020
I think that there are large parallels between the experiences of trans people and autistic people, so I thought it might be good to share some information on some of the problems trans people face and guidance on how to be a good ally.
I know it looks like a lot, but I hope it helps to increase understanding and compassion. If any other trans people who want to add to this, please do.
Long before my autism diagnosis, I’d come out as gay in my late teens during the 1980’s when I lived in Ireland and because of my background, I was never accepted by other gay people in Dublin, other gay men in particular, not least because I was raised an only child and came from Rural Ireland, Catholic background, working class and not allowed to attend Uni - after I moved to Manchester 20 years ago, it was even worse, because at the time, I was homeless for 6 months - the (hypocritical) prejudice and discrimination that I had endured from (within) the gay community, especially in the “non-profit” sector outside of the commercial gay scene, eventually caused me to cut all ties with the gay community 15 years ago and even led me to question if I was really gay at all - of course, I’d also had a severe backlash from family and others, some of whom were devout traditional Catholics, who came out with the usual stuff and crucially, that being gay was “not right for me” etc