Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Address correspondence to: John F. Many transgender people are autistic. Community expressions of the autism transgender intersection abound. Some commentators have questioned the proportional overrepresentation of autism among gender-diverse people, suggesting these individuals may not be truly autistic or truly transgender.
However, increasing evidence challenges assertions that deny the authenticity of co-occurring autistic and transgender identities. Specifically, research by authors of this article indicates autistic transgender people show neurophenotypes generally consistent with cisgender autistic people and implicit gender phenotypes consistent with nonautistic transgender people. This article features a dialogue between eight leading experts in the field of intersectional autism and gender diversity, including clinicians, researchers, community advocates, and experts who are themselves autistic transgender.
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Key topics of discussion included: how research findings on autism and gender diversity inform respectful and supportive responses to autistic transgender people; the benefits and harms of increased societal attention toward the autism transgender intersection; and research and advocacy priorities.
Attempts to deny autism among transgender people may reflect ongoing societal stigmatization of autism, 18 which may drive implicit bias and assumptions about autistic transgender people, 19 including challenges to whether this intersection even exists.
Of note, a recent study found that autistic transgender and nonautistic transgender young people were equally likely to show stability versus instability of gender and gender-related need over time.
