Please don't tell autistic people that the sky is blue.
The Federalist's Victoria Marshall goes on a rant, and I use science to deconstruct her ignorance.
An American hard-right media organization, ironically named “The Federalist,” decided to create a fuss last week. Their ignorance was astoundingly on display. I’m going to deconstruct their article using resources from the autistic community as well as from academia. But, before we begin, let’s just say that their headline should tell you all that you need to know about where they’re going with their article.
To begin with, teachers aren’t coming for your autistic kids. Teachers and school counselors are simply reacting to what they’re seeing, and trying to support kids as best they can.
But … but … but … American conservative media says that there’s a culture war happening, and that the Drag Queens are out in force to convert the country’s kids over to the LGBTQIA+ side. Uh huh … turn off the idiot box and listen to what autistic people have to say.
It turns out, researchers have noticed what’s going on with autistic people as well. Head over to your favourite research search engine and see what they’ve been up to.
Search “autism” and “gender non-conforming” and you’ll get over 1,800 results at Google Scholar from just the last year.
A search for “autism” and “non-binary” yields over 2,600 results at Google Scholar from just the last year.
A search for “autism” and “transgender” yields over 4,000 results at Google Scholar from just the last year.
A search for “autism” and “transgender” and “public schools” yields over 10,000 results at Google Scholar from just the last year.
Indeed, the fact that autistic people tend to not conform to binaries is not new … if you’re autistic or paying attention. Consider that the community-created term, neuorqueer, has even made it into the above search results.
OK, with that beginning, let’s start the deconstruction. This might be a long read (if you visit the links), but will likely help you in navigating the conversations that are happening around you.
The article begins with the establishment of the villain. In this case, we have a “evil” elementary school teacher.
“During a county school board meeting in Arlington, Virginia, on Oct. 13, Carly Hughes, a teacher in Long Branch Elementary School’s Multi-Intervention Program for Students with Autism (MIPA), spoke against Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed public school policies for transgender-identifying students. Her reason? She believes her autistic students “may experience gender queerness more than other students.”
Notice the language at the end, “she believes.” As I’ve already noted, the research is increasingly proving the connection. Books, like Finn V. Gratton’s Supporting Transgender Autistic Youth and Adults have been out for a while now increasing awareness of the large overlap between trans identities and autism. But, no. It’s this one elementary school teacher … and the teachers’ unions, of course.
“I did my master’s study in queer inclusion in public schools,” Hughes told the school board. “My study told me that including trans students in all spaces is best practice. It also told me there are trans kids of every age — one I actually worked with in my student teaching. He was in the third grade.”
Consider first the phrase, “queer inclusion.” What does that mean to you. If we visit Nick Walker’s Neuroqueer page of definitions, we find that to “queer” something is to subvert, defy, disrupt, or liberating oneself. To Walker and her collaborators, queer is both a verb (first) and an adjective (second). So, what Hughes is saying is that she deliberately wants to include those who choose to liberate themselves from the strict binary world of modern Western society. Is it a “best practice” to purposefully include those who are so marginalized by society? I would think it is. Here’s another way of looking at it, many autistic people incorporate gender norms in their masking. When the masks come off, we’re free to be our glorious non-binary selves. What if … researchers have started asking the right questions and are seeing significance in their results?
Youngkin’s model policies specify that taxpayer-funded public schools cannot facilitate a child’s so-called “transition” without written consent from a parent. Additionally, the guidance prescribes that bathroom and locker room access and sports participation should be based strictly on a student’s sex. These policies are a reversal of previous guidance from former Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, which asked schools to hide a student’s “gender identity” from his or her parents.
The American far-right is full of it’s own problems as relates to autistic people. Evangelical Christianity still views disability largely as a curse, or in the case of neurodivergence, a fault in parenting. Some on the fringe are still seeking to cure their autistic kids with industrial-strength bleach. Remember, in large segments of society, kids (and women) are still considered property. So that one side or the other thinks it knows best … without asking folx in the community what they prefer … is a bit ripe. Thus, Youngkin, who is neither autistic or trans, wanting to dictate how these communities will access public spaces in Virginia, is just silly. He knows nothing about the community he seeks to regulate.
The link embedded into the quote sends us to a guide published by the Virginia Dept. of Education. In it, you can find helpful advice like honouring a person’s pronouns or chosen name (pg. 13). Think about it. We do this all the time when people marry and one takes the name of the other. We think this is normal. We do this with actors as well, like when Marion Morrison became John Wayne. David Tennant, the 10th Dr. Who, was born a MacDonald but changed his name to conform with the rules of the Screen Actors Guild. I use David Tennant (who chose his new last name due to his being a fan of the Pet Shop Boys singer), because he supposedly told his parents when he was three that he wanted to be an actor and play the role of Dr. Who. How many reading this knew early on what they wanted to do with their lives? Don’t parents still ask their kids what they want to be when they grow up?
Hughes herself identifies as a “queer” special education teacher. “I found that autistic students, the population I work with, may experience gender queerness more than other students,” she said. “These students … have helped me learn so much about myself as well.”
It’s nice that the author pointed out that Hughes identifies as queer. Again, so many autistics do … including myself … who happens also to be a special education teacher. As I began to really think about my identity, especially in light of society’s opening up to ideas that diverged from the traditional binary, I thought of queer in the old-fashioned sense of someone being different. As the discussion has evolved, I like it even more given Walker’s work on the subject.
As goes Hughes’ statement about her growth, she echoes most parents. If you’re a parent, think about the ways in which your life changes when your baby arrives. As you learn and grow into your new role, you’re learning as much about your new job as you are about your new child. Being a teacher is no different. Our interactions with our students reveal so much about us. Should we not take this information and use it to improve our practice?
As for her statement about autism and "gender queerness,” she’s spot on. The data supports her assertion.
Arlington Public Schools responded to Youngkin’s model policies with a pledge to “support the rights of our transgender, non-binary, and gender fluid students.”
Good for them. Why can’t we just be kind to people?
Hughes isn’t the only public school teacher who thinks it’s best to confuse autistic students by glorifying the transgender craze. Back in 2018, a whistleblowing teacher in the U.K. alleged that autistic students at her school were being persuaded they were trans. At one point, 17 students were in the “transition” process, according to a Daily Mail report.
Who is “confused?” What does it mean to “glorify the transgender craze?” These are words and phrases used purposefully to inflame. They’re not helpful or informative. What about the word, “persuaded?” There is evidence of bias in the way that identity is explored within autistic communities. Does the article’s author have experience working at the intersection of autistic, trans, and/or non-binary identities? It doesn’t seem so.
The teacher said few of the 17 “trans” students were actually suffering from gender dysphoria. Rather they were “tricked” into believing they were the wrong sex as a way of coping with problems associated with their autism. Even older students at her school who had transitioned “groomed” younger autistic students to do the same.
Referencing the Daily Mail article from 2018, Marshall goes on to reinforce her thesis with this one four-year-old newspaper article from the UK. When you dive into that article, you find the unnamed teacher “believes” that the children aren’t trans or non-binary. You don’t find her qualifications to make such a judgement, however. What you do find is a student who, with the permission of their parents, was able to be accommodated by their school. Thus, in this one case, the teacher is seen letting her bias get in the way of what the student and parents clearly want to have happen.
Were the 17 students “tricked,” or did they see their fellow student successfully come out and be supported by the school … and thus felt comfortable coming out as well? Why is it OK to say that being trans is a coping mechanism for the “problems associated with their autism.” How can someone who says this be treated as a credible source on trans / autism topics?
Then there’s the triggering word, “groomed.” This is a favourite of the anti-trans or anti-LGBTQIA+ groups in the US. If you’re inspired to do something important in your life because someone you admire is doing, that’s now “grooming.” So, if you enjoy playing football, and you have your kids playing youth football, are you now “grooming” them into a violent lifestyle that could end their life early via repeated head trauma? Somehow, following an example or following in someone’s footsteps is now “grooming” to a large portion of the US.
The report followed another exclusive by the Daily Mail that year, which revealed that a third of the children referred to the U.K.’s National Health Service showed “moderate to severe autistic traits.” As such, 150 autistic teenagers were given puberty-blocker drugs.
Remember, there are literally thousands of research papers on the link between being trans and being autistic. Consider the studies by Cheung et al. (2018) and Zucker et al. (2017), who referred to other studies on a possible genetic link between being autistic and being trans. Based on the study by Vanderlaan et al. (2015), Cheung et al. (2018) proposed shared epigenetic factors for gender identity and autism.
Unfortunately, much discussion of the documented link between autism and transgender identity focuses on identifying a reason behind this link, with the implication that if a cause were to be identified, this would justify disregarding or questioning the trans identity of autistic people to a greater extent than is already the case. One study focused instead on the commonalities between the trans and autistic experiences, including pathologisation, medical gatekeeping and a lack of representation in public discourse about both autism and trans identity, which tend to be dominated by non-autistic and cisgender people respectively.
“The same phenomenon appears to be happening in America. Syed, a “straight-A” autistic student in Seattle, was checked into a hospital after dealing with severe mental health issues. Hospital staff told Syed’s parents that their son’s distress was due to the fact that he was really a girl, and said he should begin the medical transition process as soon as possible (in the state of Washington, minors can receive mental health and wrongly named “gender-affirming care” without parental consent by age 13). There are countless stories to this effect.”
First, Marshall fails to mention that the account of “Syed” comes from noted anti-trans activist Abigail Shrier. Second, within the Shrier piece, the expert source Shrier cites is Susan Bradley. Bradley is famous for founding the Child and Adolescent Gender Identity Clinic at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, which was closed following a review of its practices in the treatment of gender-nonconforming children. The work there has been likened to so-called “conversion therapy.” Finishing out the claim, the “countless stories” were likely gathered in support of her books. They hardly represent a valid sample of any particular population. With all of this in mind, it’s no wonder the APA chose Bradley to chair the Bradley the DSM-IV Subcommittee on Gender Disorders.
Children with autism do seem disproportionately represented among children who claim they are transgender, with multiple studies connecting Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to gender dysphoria. According to psychologist Kenneth Zucker, a child who believes he is transgender may be wrongly convincing himself due to his fixation — a common tendency associated with autism — on sex.
Again, Marshall omits important information. Zucker isn’t just some other, randomly chosen academic with something to say on the issue. No, Zucker is a co-author, with Susan Bradley, on the book, Gender Identity Disorder and Psychosexual Problems in Children and Adolescents. He also served with Bradley on the DSM-IV Subcommittee on Gender Disorders.
Contrast the view of Shrier with the meta-analysis presented Autism Spectrum Disorder and Gender Dysphoria/Incongruence. A systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis by Kallitsounaki & Williams in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. This review showed a relationship between “autism traits” and “gender dysphoric” feelings in the general population and a high prevalence of gender dysphoria / gender incongruence in autistic people. So, who do you want to believe, an anti-trans activist on a book tour or researchers looking at 8,662 participants from 25 studies?
“It is possible that kids who have a tendency to get obsessed or fixated on something may latch on to gender,” Zucker told The Daily Wire. “Just because kids are saying something doesn’t necessarily mean you accept it, or that it’s true, or that it could be in the best interests of the child.”
Is it possible that autistic people turn their gender identity, or their exploration of their gender identity, into their “special interest?” Of course it is. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so, but Zucker and his allies do. That’s why they subscribe to the “conversion” model of therapy.
Many children with autism experience feelings of social isolation, as well as a desire to feel special. Rollo Tomassi, an expert in intersexual dynamics, says the so-called transgender community fills this longing because “nothing is really required for belonging other than an active imagination and enough people to feel good about themselves for praising and reinforcing it in them.”
Tomassi is certainly not an expert. He’s a blogger and author of the Rational Male books. He has zero scientific creds. His opinions on autism and gender are not relevant nor worth commenting upon. Yet, Marshall uses him as he is a known quantity to the “anti-woke” audience that the Federalist serves.
In that way, the Arlington school teacher is preying on this desire by her autistic students to feel special and included. Instead of helping her students transcend their disabilities, she’s encouraging them to embrace life-altering “gender-affirmation” that merely causes more confusion and, when acted on with medical interventions, infertility. It’s textbook child abuse.
Fantastic. Teachers who want to connect with their students and affirm their identities are now predators.
The article links the word “infertility” with Abigal Shrier’s commentary on the former White House Press Secretary’s statements about “gender affirming health care.”
That paragraph ends the article, but not my commentary. I do want to address Shrier’s comments about infertility. To do that, I have to touch on some uncomfortable points.
I’m old enough to know that the “trans thing” is not a fad. When I was beginning my journey in the late 80’s, I found that one of the most friendly and welcoming adult bars in town was a gay bar. The most fun night of the week was the “trans-friendly” night. The point being, trans was a thing 30+ years ago.
I am aware of the studies that outline the risk of medical transitions. I am aware that people receiving hormone therapy during gender transition have an elevated risk for cardiovascular events, such as strokes, blood clots and heart attacks. The findings in this study underscore the importance of counseling and close monitoring of transgender patients receiving hormone therapy. I am also aware of the studies that link hormone replacement therapy in the general population.
Then there are the stories about Big Pharma’s leap on to the transition gravy train. Trans health care is now a multi-billion dollar per year revenue stream to the medical establishment. Some focus on the relative unaffordability of gender affirming care. Others, point out that thanks to Big Pharma’s entry, and it’s maximizing profits, such care is now limited to those privileged to live in certain Western areas and having just the right insurance plan.
Others point out that the eugenics movement is salivating over a group of people who are choosing to remove their ability to reproduce - maybe even driving the trans movement from the back bench. Others note that whilst it may be a sacrifice to remove one’s ability to reproduce, they can certainly still become parents. Consider the number of children waiting to be adopted, waiting for a loving parent or family to take them in. There are so many ways to start or create a family, not just giving birth. Understanding the human population numbers, if less than 2% of humanity chooses to not have their own kids, humanity will still be fine.
As I wind this rather long deconstruction down, I thank you for your stamina and your courage. It’s not easy being on the margins of things. Sometimes, I just feel the need to take apart some piece of garbage that floats through the internet. In doing so today, I provide a ton of resources for you to explore.
Let me know what you think in the comment section below. If you want to share resources, feel free.
— December 16, 2023 Note —
Some of the materials herein have made it into my book, No Place for Autism? It was released in February 2023 from Lived Places Publishing and is available at Amazon and other major book retailers worldwide.
— May 09, 2024 Note —
Last month, I publicly embraced my identity as a trans woman, a revelation that has profoundly influenced my perspectives and writings. Reflecting on this article, it’s evident how my understanding of gender and neurodiversity was filtering through, even before my coming out. Advocating for inclusivity and challenging binary norms not only highlighted societal issues but also mirrored my internal journey towards recognising and affirming my own identity. This intersection of personal and professional realms enriches my commitment to advocating for marginalised communities, emphasising the necessity of space for all identities in educational and public domains. As I continue to evolve both personally and in my writing, I appreciate the continued support and engagement from all my readers.