Spectrums: Autistic Transgender People in Their Own Words

by Maxfield Sparrow (Editor)

Overview

Written by autistic trans people from around the world, this vital and intimate collection of personal essays reveals the struggles and joys of living at the intersection of neurodivergence and gender diversity.

Weaving memories, poems and first-person narratives together, these stories showcase experiences of coming out, college and university life, accessing healthcare, physical transition, friendships and relationships, sexuality, pregnancy, parenting, and late life self-discovery, to reveal a rich and varied tapestry of life lived on the spectrums.

With humour and personal insight, this anthology is essential reading for autistic trans people, and the professionals supporting them, as well as anyone interested in the nuances of autism and gender identity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787750142
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	09/21/2020
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.87(d)

About the Author

Maxfield Sparrow is a trans masculine author and speaker on the autism spectrum. They have previously published No You Don't: Essays from an Unstrange Mind and The ABCs of Autism Acceptance (Autonomous Press) and run a popular blog called 'Unstrange Mind'. They have published a number of articles on the overlap of autism and trans identity and run training and workshops. They are based in Colorado, USA.

Table of Contents

Introduction 13

Maxfield Sparrow (they/them/their)

My Body 20

Joelle Smith (she/her/hers)

I'm Just Me 28

Ben James (he/him/his)

Lifting the Burden 31

Drake Keeper (they/them/theirs)

The Queer Phoenix 34

Maxx Crow (he/him/his or they/them/their)

Bodies with Purpose 36

Gil Goletski (they/them/theirs)

My Journey as a Transgender Woman with Autism 44

Elizabeth K. Graham (she/her/hers)

Face the Strange 54

Dan Ackerman (they/them/theirs)

Ableism in Poetry 58

Kaiden Cole Wilde (he/him/his)

The Realest Parts of Me 62

Devin S. Turk (he/him/his or they/them/theirs)

Neuroccino 66

Nathaniel Glanzman (he/him/his)

My Gender Is Yenn: A Coming Out Story 69

Yenn Purkis (they/them/their)

A Letter to My Parents 76

Qwyrdo (they/them/their or ze/zer/zers)

I'm trans and autistic, and yes (for me), they're related 81

Endever^* corbin (they/them/their or xe/xem/xyr)

Evolving H 87

H A Clark (xe/xem/xyr or they/them/their)

The Power of Perspective 91

Megan Talbot (she/her/hers)

Half a Century of Winging It 101

Heather Rowan Nichol (they/them/theirs)

Five Poems 115

Jan (they/them/theirs)

What I Wish I'd Known 119

Chris Breedt (they/them/their or he/him/his)

Late to the Party 127

Hayden James (he/him/his)

The Rightness of Being Wrong 133

Baden Gaeke Franz (they/them/theirs)

Finding Validity at Work 140

Kevvie Vida (she/her/hers)

Reflections 144

HDG (she/her/hers or they/them/theirs)

Definitions 150

James J Myers (he/him/his or they/them/theirs)

A Transtistic Evolution 152

Jordan (they/them/theirs or he/him/his)

My Path of Life 160

Elie B (they/them/their)

Autistic, Non-binary, and Still Learning 164

Alyssa Hillary (they/them/their)

Remember the Time 173

V. Mike Roberts (he/him/his)

A letter to a friend 180

Ren koloni (they/them/their or it/it/its)

Gender Epiphany 183

Eryn Star (Any pronouns. I highly encourage folks to call me different pronouns interchangeably, but if someone is unable to due to disability reasons, they/them is good.)

The Girlhood That Wasn't Mine (The Spaces I Cannot Enter) 188

Kit Mead (they/them/their)

Finding Myself: In Parallel 191

Andren Copass (he/him/his or they/them/their)

Steps to an Identity 194

Rae Kersley (they/them/their)

So Typical, Yet So Atypical 199

Kerry Chin (he/him/his)

A Plea of Things I Would Like You to Know 215

Shannon Shannon (Shannon/Shannon/Shannon's)

One Step at a Time 219

Lee N (they/them/their)

On Finding Yourself in Someone Else 226

Noor Pervez (he/him/his)

Meetings and Partings 229

Heather Rowan Nichol (they/them/their)

Endnotes 231

Editorial Reviews

This beautifully written collection of autistic and gender intersectional experiences is challenging, heartbreaking, emotive and mind blowing. There is one theme: My autistic experience of gender and sexuality is valid. Personally, I relate so well to the various experiences echoed in the book. The intersectionalilty of neurodivergence and gender difference leads to a life unforetold and it's time these voices were heard, understood and accommodated.

Wenn B. Lawson (PhD) CPsychol University of Birmingham