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Is there a connection between Autism and Gender Dysphoria?

Is there a connection?

  • No there is not.

    Votes: 5 25.0%
  • Yes there is.

    Votes: 5 25.0%
  • IDK.

    Votes: 10 50.0%

  • Total voters
    20
You're equating "sex" with "gender," while the social movement separates these into two different things. Do you just disagree with that distinction? Or what do you think about that?

I'm not arguing, I'm actually just curious. I don't have a strong stance either way.

Also, I have a wooden duck! :D And I can attest that it is, sadly, true. 'Tis not a real duck. :(

Here's another way to demonstrate how the "gender is a social construct" argument is WRONG, by looking at the actual word.

GENder is related to the word GENerate. Which means to produce or create.
Synonyms; cause, give rise to, lead to, result in, bring about, bring into being, create, make, produce, initiate, engender, spawn, sow the seeds of, originate ....etc...

Does this make my point/argument any clearer?
Etymology is a good tool for understanding actual meaning of words and concepts and real "cultural constructs".
 
Here's another way to demonstrate how the "gender is a social construct" argument is WRONG, by looking at the actual word.

GENder is related to the word GENerate. Which means to produce or create.
Synonyms; cause, give rise to, lead to, result in, bring about, bring into being, create, make, produce, initiate, engender, spawn, sow the seeds of, originate ....etc...

Does this make my point/argument any clearer?
Etymology is a good tool for understanding actual meaning of words and concepts and real "cultural constructs".

I actually had looked into that because of you capitalizing "GEN" in the previous post! I researched a lot of things triggered by your post, I think I just spent like an hour going back and forth on it. :rolleyes:
 
Here's another way to demonstrate how the "gender is a social construct" argument is WRONG, by looking at the actual word.

GENder is related to the word GENerate. Which means to produce or create.
Synonyms; cause, give rise to, lead to, result in, bring about, bring into being, create, make, produce, initiate, engender, spawn, sow the seeds of, originate ....etc...

Does this make my point/argument any clearer?
Etymology is a good tool for understanding actual meaning of words and concepts and real "cultural constructs".

The origin of the word gender is genus, which is Latin and means birth, family, nation. So it clearly relates to one's origins and has NOTHING to do with "performative" "cultural construct" ideas which relate to choices of activities or choices of appearance.

I read those theories, as I studied "Gender, Sex and Culture" at uni.

I think we should free ourselves of such sexist notions that GENder is anything is other that the biological, physical GENetic aspect of self.

It doesn't matter your sexual orientation, gay people are gay, pretending to be the opposite gender doesn't make them straight.

And gender dysphoria has a clearer, scientific link with sexual orientation and fashion and appearance choices than it does autism.
 
The origin of the word gender is genus, which is Latin and means birth, family, nation. So it clearly relates to one's origins and has NOTHING to do with "performative" "cultural construct" ideas which relate to choices of activities or choices of appearance.

I read those theories, as I studied "Gender, Sex and Culture" at uni.

I think we should free ourselves of such sexist notions that GENder is anything is other that the biological, physical GENetic aspect of self.

It doesn't matter your sexual orientation, gay people are gay, pretending to be the opposite gender doesn't make them straight.

And gender dysphoria has a clearer, scientific link with sexual orientation and fashion and appearance choices than it does autism.

Do you have a degree in gender studies, or some related field?

I just imagined a whole "autism is a choice" movement because of that last statement. :D
 
I didn't say gender dysphoria is a choice, but it's pretty hard to discount the evidence that one of the "indicators" of it is wanting to wear clothes that are traditionally worn by the opposite gender, and people assume gender dysphoric people are trans people and that isn't necessarily so.

Just like sexual orientation is not a choice, autism is not a choice, but fashion preferences ARE a choice.

THAT was my point, not the gender dysphoria itself.

I just think, if we, as a culture, didn't make ASSUMPTIONS that kid's who REALLY, REALLY WANT or NEED to wear dresses if they are a boy or whatever, are, transgender kids. They might just be gender dysphoric or drag queens or gay and NOT, in fact, needing to be treated as trans kids.

I don't think fashion choice should be treated as such an "indicator" of "trans"ness that's all.

I think it beneficial if we stop making "gender" a "social construct" because that's the sexist, superficial, perpetuating-of-a-limiting-binary-"performance"-and-fashion-choices conceptual construct and it's leading to all sorts of problems.
 
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Do you have a degree in gender studies, or some related field?

I just imagined a whole "autism is a choice" movement because of that last statement. :D
Typical of many autistic women, I didn't finish my degree, but I keep studying because it's a "special interest" area of mine.
 
I think it beneficial if we stop making "gender" a "social construct" because that's the sexist, superficial, perpetuating-of-a-limiting-binary-"performance

The cats out of the bag .

People who think that are teaching the police ,in schools,are changing legislation.

The people who agreed with them initially probably thought it was your meaning of gender ... But it wasn't .
Now all kinds of mad thinga are happening and will continue to do so.

It's incredibly sad but also fascinating.
Like some orwellian witch Hunt, the way language is being used to silence and ostracise people.
To remove rights from people under the guise of liberal inclusion.

Big pharma being involved in the transitioning of young adults,without objective oversight and study.
(Always follow the money)

I'm assuming you're aware of what's happening from what you've said so far.

Not a rabbit hole to fall into on here, I don't think.
 
My perception is that aspies have a very limited ability to self identify with a group of any kind, including gender groups. We may use words like 'man' or 'woman' but only in the descriptive sense. I'm a 'man' but all I communicate with this statement is that biologically I'm male. Attributes like sexual preferences, how I dress or speak and my interests are completely independent of being a 'man'.

If someone asked me what I thought the one thing was that everyone with aspergers has in common it would be the group thing. We can 'see' group in others and that they are part of a group but we lack the capacity to 'be' group. This extends to gender. Consequently, we just go with our personal sexual preference and get stereotyped by others.
 
An astonishing 17 pupils at a single British school are in the process of changing gender, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Most of the youngsters undergoing the transformation are autistic, according to a teacher there, who said vulnerable children with mental health problems were being ‘tricked’ into believing they are the wrong sex.

The whistleblower says few of the transgender children are suffering from gender dysphoria – the medical term for someone who feels they were born in the wrong body – but are just easily influenced, latching on to the mistaken belief they are the wrong sex as a way of coping with the problems caused by autism.

This isn’t the only indication that something may be amiss:

The Mail on Sunday revealed that a third of youngsters referred to the NHS’s only gender identity clinic for children showed ‘moderate to severe autistic traits’.

It means that 150 autistic teenagers were given puberty blocker drugs which stop the body maturing.

Autistic Children Pushed to Become Transgender | National Review
 
This is not my view. There is a lot of this type of thing going about at the moment.

A lot of it being taught to idiots who spread the word.


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Network Autism on Twitter
 
I recently said to my, probably Aspie, somewhat, gender dysphoric, son the other day.
Yes, I agree that people have created social constructs and attached them to gender. And I think it a good that some of those gender constructs are challenged.

This was the agreement we came to, after he got upset when I said "I dont believe that gender is a social contruct".

I also told him I think he would be a beautiful drag queen. That made him much happier.
 
You sound like an awesome parent!

If I wanted to discuss something like that with my parents, I'd have to first explain what a "social construct" is, and next I'd have to explain in a different way what a "social construct" is and then I'd have to give up.
 
My perception is that individuals who are incapable of self-identifying with a group (aspies for example and yes I'm making this generalization) may be vulnerable to a kind of Boolean rationale. For example, 'I don't self-identify as male therefore I must be female' or vise-versa. Male-female being the Boolean choices.

If we're not capable of self-identifying as a gender than whats the point really? I can come to five logical conclusions,

1) 'It benefits me to make choice A',

2) 'I want to explore choice B because I think I can learn something from it',

3) 'Gender C hurt me so I'm going to identify with gender D because I'm less afraid of it and apparently one has to chose a gender",

4) 'I really love person E but for us to have an intimate relationship I need to assume the role of gender F,' and last but not least,

5) 'I really admire person G, I think I'll assume the gender they have because I want to be like them.'

Thinking one is a gender when one is incapable of self-identifying with a group is a bit silly. If you're an aspie, just get some time to yourself so you can be alone and figure out what you want to be. If you're young you really don't need to be in a hurry. Act like a gender that will make like easier for you until you can get into a position where you can make your life-choice without interference.
 
When I was in High School I met another student, he made me uncomfortable and he never seemed to fit in.
Latter I learned "he" was a hermaphradite and later chose to identify as female.
As soon as I learned this it all made sense to me why I was uncomfortable.
I knew she didn't fit in but I also knew she didn't fit in the same way I didn't fit in, and I never again felt uncomfortable around her.

In High School I hung out with a band of misfits we claimed the table nearest the hall right in the middle, it allowed only two lines of approach, the leaders of the group had military family histories or paranoid tendencies. (myself falling under the paranoid category though I later joined the military).
There where those that didn't have these tendencies of course, I think we made them feel safe as we didn't joke with them in the same way we did those we considered thick skinned (we did joke with them just not the same way).
Unfortunately the group didn't survive most of us graduating, it was a group that helped me a lot.
 

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