Gender Identity, Sexuality and Autism

5* An informative, and 'from the horses' (both therapists' and patients') mouth' delivery that hits hard.

This book wasn't heavy on the intro, and instead, got straight to it. The authors managed to find a decent number and cross section of patients, and I think that their study was as fair as you can get, given that these are genuine patients sharing their lives, experiences, family, et al. I enjoyed reading how pretty much everyone had someone in their lives who managed to give them what they needed, and that they too, seemed to fulfil their partner's/s' needs; they seemed to be, other than one, contributing members of society, without chips on their shoulders. I liked that not one person expressed that they felt like an out-and-out victim, or felt out-and-out hard done by, but accepted that their choices were in part responsible for their lives, e.g., their sexuality and expression of such might make people (including seemingly, US employers, because UK ones would certainly NOT discriminate on the basis of gender, sexuality or other issue. We're lucky enough to be protected in law by the Equality Act 2010) see them a certain way. I liked that all seemed comfortable with their sexuality, and with their living-it gender, and their autism traits; I apologise if I've expressed any of this disrespectfully.

My curiosity made me get this book, as I (cis female, het) have certain traits that I suspect may come under the autism spectrum, but reading about these guys' issues, experiences, lives, etc., made me feel OK about myself. Not via disrespecting them or via intimating that there's anything wrong with them, but by being able to see their strengths and what makes them good at certain things, which I can equate to. I think it's an uplifting book and one where the therapists have made a huge difference to their patients' lives. I think it makes you see that what you might think are negatives, are in fact positives in many ways, affecting many people and things positively.

I must admit that at times I did wonder why these patients would choose to complicate their lives, because sexuality and your choice of sexuality is very different to the gender you're born as, and the gender you identify as. I do get that both aspects are unrelated, and one is about choice and the other is an innate feeling and belief, but one guy in a poly relationship seemed to have chosen something overly complex to be part of, to bring up his own child, and share in the upbringing of his partner's child, and I suspect that they will have issues, or rather their kids will have issues that are not of their own making, simply via the choices that mums/dads made. Yes, each to their own, but I must admit that the guy featured in that tale seemed rather selfish, which I did NOT at all get from the other pairings/patients. But, I'm not here to judge, and the therapists certainly don't judge, and instead seem to focus on all aspects of their patients' lives and to genuinely try to provide the best care and advice.

I loved that autism was not portrayed as something negative, but as something that made these guys unique in very different ways. Readin this book was a bit self-affirming and uplifting for me, and made me feel 'you know, it's OK to be you'. I think I related most to the guy who saw that his autism was that asset that made him good at his job. I'm glad I read this book for my own benefit in terms of how I view myself and how hard I am on myself, and also because it'll make me see autistic people in a different, more positive light, instead of being wary from the outset. It's killed off a form of not-nasty, uninformed prejudice, i.e., being a bit wary, a bit reluctant to engage with autistic people because of the 'unknown' element, but really, there are can be no stereotypes as each autistic person is unique and sometimes, they might be equally wary of the unknown and of the stereotypes that non-autistic people have likely gauged from inexpert portrayals in media, such as TV programmes, films and news. It's been one of the most worthwhile books I've read this year and I am incredibly lucky to have gained so much education this year via this publisher and its authors.

Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishing for the copy of this book.

Gender identity, sexuality, and Autism is a great novel that sheds light on several important topic, within the LGBT and autistic communities.. Everyone is different and I think this book is a great resource for those who want to understand where they are on the spectrum and explore their identity. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and everything it has to offer.


I received this book from NetGalley.

I am always interested in educating myself on important, topical issues such as the subjects discussed in this book, even though I don't have any problem with my gender identity or sexuality, and I'm not part of the spectrum when it comes to Autism. Despite it exploring weighty topics I was most surprised by how readable it was; it was communicated in a casual, conversational style, which even a person with no prior knowledge of said areas could easily understand. This is not only designed to inform and support those who are on either the LGBT+ and Autism spectrums but also the general public, and the case studies and first-hand accounts help the reader to view things from the perspective of those in the know, those who have struggled with these issues themselves, as well as the psychologists or therapists who have treated them.

Also worth a mention is the inclusion of a fantastic Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, and the authors do a great job of providing definitions of the terms used throughout the book so a layman can understand exactly what is being discussed. It is a comprehensive and understandable work and is the first book I've found that explores these topics in an interrelated way. What I liked the most was that, unlike other books, the issues were explored in a respectful manner; there was never any hint or intimation of there being something "wrong" with these patients. They are merely portrayed as being different, which is exactly the way I view them, and in my eyes different can often be good. Some of the most wonderful people are those who defy categorisation.

Many thanks to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for an ARC.

At times this book felt a little long-winded, but it was very interesting to read about other people's lives as queer and autistic people. I am also a queer person who is autistic (I'm currently self-diagnosed but I'm on the waiting list to go through the diagnostic process) so I wanted to read about how these intersections affect others, and this book did not disappoint.

The statistics at the start of the book were interesting, and when I read the traits at the end of the book I just felt even more certain that I'm autistic because I related to the majority of the traits. Overall this book was a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about queer and autistic identities and how they intersect.