Somewhere Deconstructing The Double Rainbow

Yesterday I took part in a panel discussion as part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week. Those who have followed my work for a while will know I don't love the concept of 'days', 'weeks' or 'months' dedicated to celebrating aspects of deliberate disadvantage because I believe it upholds harmful systems by limiting our time and space to diverge from the construct of normal while maintaining the status quo the rest of the time. I'm much more of a 'burn it all down and reimagine reality' kind of guy. I've also often observed these kinds of events to be majority white, cis and straight, something I have commented on publicly as well as discussed privately with those taking part.

The panel was on the intersection of neurodivergence and LGBTQIA+, sometimes referred to as the ‘Double Rainbow’ because a high percentage of neurodivergents also identify as LGBTQIA+. This naming is incongruent with the way I approach social justice for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the data at the root of this correlation gets misinterpreted, misused and abused to the detriment of those existing at this intersection. Secondly, it reinforces the construct of ‘white as the default’, by framing neurodivergence and queerness as ‘doubly different’, and yet problematically doesn’t speak to the enormous differences in the experiences that Black and Global Majority people at this intersection will have compared to those racialised as white. It feels like it comes from the same line of thinking as ‘I don’t see colour’. All that said, I think there is room to have radical progressives present in these events because it might help some people to shift their perspectives. The discussion ended up being highly enjoyable, the contributions from my co-panellists were vulnerable and insightful and the feedback from the attendees indicated that we moved some people’s thinking away from oppression-friendly advocacy and towards decolonisation and liberation.

Below, I’ve shared my answers to the main questions I addressed as part of the panel.

Is there a connection between Autism and Transness and what is important to understand on this topic?

“Yes, it's that they both diverge from the colonial construct of normal. Diversity in the human experience is ancient, people have always been trans and queer, and there’s no reason to suppose that our brains and nervous systems haven’t always had a great level of variety. What’s new, is the construct of normal - which was cobbled together by Europeans and exported around the world through colonisation about 500 years ago. This construct includes non-Disabled, cisgender along with being racialised as white, being Christian, being heterosexual and all the other identities that were held or at least performed by those in power in Europe. So if we are looking at things in a vacuum that normalises the colonial point of view as correct, we can only view neurodivergence and transness in relation to the construct of normal, instead of as distinct and natural aspects of human variation.

My interpretation of any correlations we see with neurodivergence and queerness in general is that some neurodivergents are more likely to challenge the colonial norms that govern life in the imperial core, and therefore potentially more likely to acknowledge the other parts of themselves that are rejected by the construct of normal. It’s absolutely essential that we understand that this is rooted in a white, western understanding of reality which is not the whole story for 85% of the people on this planet.

We know that Autism is being weaponised against trans people when it comes to gender-affirming healthcare, it is causing a great deal of harm and pain for already marginalised, vulnerable people and we need to fight the ways this is being used against folx. And, we shouldn’t be surprised, given they are both considered disorders. Autism and other forms of neurodivergence are diagnosable, and, in the UK, you have to be diagnosed with ‘gender dysphoria’ in order to access gender affirming care. So rather than trying to either justify or erase links between neurodivergence and transness, we should be redirecting the conversation and the work to dismantling the entire colonial system that pathologises natural human variation.”

How are ableism and queerphobia interconnected and how can we show up to disrupt and dismantle them?

“Extractive capitalism, which is a product of colonialism, is one of the primary drivers for both of these things because it values us only for what we can produce and our effectiveness at upholding and continuing the system of production.

Being Disabled means that accommodations are required in order to be an effective worker bee, and work in the capitalist sense might be inaccessible altogether. That isn’t to say contribution is inaccessible, we can all contribute in meaningful ways, but we have to reframe contribution as a concept of adding to your community and environment and away from production.

Heteronormativity is a construct that focuses on reproduction and isolation - keep people having babies to be the next generation of worker bees and keep them hardly managing by selling the idea that it only takes two people to raise children while one or both of them have to work to make sure they can survive in a system that equates your right to live with your ability to earn money.

There is no version of the world where we have eradicated ableism and queerphobia but we still have extractive capitalism. So to genuinely disrupt and dismantle ableism and queerphobia we need to dismantle extractive capitalism and co-create a system for living built to meet the needs of people, the needs of the planet, rather than the hoarding of resources, wealth and power.”

—AJ

Now for some Wautistic Wayfinder info: You have ten days left to lock in 2023 pricing for up to ten sessions with me where we will: unlearn ableism and racism, develop compassion and accountability, create a plan to decolonise our reality & dismantle systems of harm. Book an exploration zoom call here or email me at [email protected], more details on my website. If you are UK based, you may be able to cover payment through Access to Work.

Today’s Neuro-Embodiment Prompts:

Suggestions and questions to help you engage with mindbody decolonisation:

• What aspects of your identity diverge from the construct of normal? How can you begin to reframe them as distinct and natural aspects of human variation?

• How can you impactful find ways to divest from extractive capitalism?

• What does a reimagined reality, where all our differences are normalised and our needs are met, look like? Check out Mission Equality’s Black Paper on Equalism for inspiration.