Trigger Warning: I'm talking about oppression. No big specifics, but just in case.
This one's probably not what you were expecting, since it's not just autism, but only about two thirds of what's on here is even tagged as being related to autism. That means this is more related to autism than about a third of what I've written, and this is relevant. Really.
Maybe you're white, maybe you're not. Maybe you're male, maybe you're not. Maybe you're neurotypical, maybe you're not. Maybe you're straight, maybe you're not. Maybe you're able-bodied, maybe you're not. Maybe you're cis, maybe you're not. Most people are in the "not" category for at least one of these things, and the fewer things you're in the "not" category for, the easier it is to get people to listen to you about the "not" categories you're in, usually, since you still have the privileges accorded to the other groups you're in.
Intersectionality is basically the idea that you can, in fact, be in multiple groups that are less privileged, and that the difficulties you face for one can intersect with the difficulties you face for both. It's the idea that "things people do to Autistic women and not neurotypical women or Autistic men" is still part of "things people do to women" and "things people do to Autistics." It's the idea that things that happen to people in multiple disprivileged are often related to all the privileges that they lack and that a discussion of any one privilege also includes discussing how it interacts with the others. Talking about the ways women are (yes, still) oppressed includes talking about how women of color and women with disabilities and trans women are oppressed, not just how cis white abled women are at a disadvantage to cis white abled men. Talking about how Autistic people get messed with includes talking about problems all Autistic people deal with, not just the white male Autistics. (I'm not male! I'm Autistic! I exist!)
And that's really all there is to it. It's not a complicated idea, though it can sometimes be complicated to pull off because of living in a society that really likes ignoring the opinions and lived experiences of people who have very few privileges in favor of what people with more privileges think and want.
As for me, I'm AFAB (identified as androgyne) and Autistic. I know that part fairly well. The rest? That part I've screwed up some. I've even messed up the "how to say that I am generally read as female without saying that I identify that way since I kinda don't..." thing. Intersectionality takes work. I won't deny it. But it's IMPORTANT, blast it.
This one's probably not what you were expecting, since it's not just autism, but only about two thirds of what's on here is even tagged as being related to autism. That means this is more related to autism than about a third of what I've written, and this is relevant. Really.
Maybe you're white, maybe you're not. Maybe you're male, maybe you're not. Maybe you're neurotypical, maybe you're not. Maybe you're straight, maybe you're not. Maybe you're able-bodied, maybe you're not. Maybe you're cis, maybe you're not. Most people are in the "not" category for at least one of these things, and the fewer things you're in the "not" category for, the easier it is to get people to listen to you about the "not" categories you're in, usually, since you still have the privileges accorded to the other groups you're in.
Intersectionality is basically the idea that you can, in fact, be in multiple groups that are less privileged, and that the difficulties you face for one can intersect with the difficulties you face for both. It's the idea that "things people do to Autistic women and not neurotypical women or Autistic men" is still part of "things people do to women" and "things people do to Autistics." It's the idea that things that happen to people in multiple disprivileged are often related to all the privileges that they lack and that a discussion of any one privilege also includes discussing how it interacts with the others. Talking about the ways women are (yes, still) oppressed includes talking about how women of color and women with disabilities and trans women are oppressed, not just how cis white abled women are at a disadvantage to cis white abled men. Talking about how Autistic people get messed with includes talking about problems all Autistic people deal with, not just the white male Autistics. (I'm not male! I'm Autistic! I exist!)
And that's really all there is to it. It's not a complicated idea, though it can sometimes be complicated to pull off because of living in a society that really likes ignoring the opinions and lived experiences of people who have very few privileges in favor of what people with more privileges think and want.
As for me, I'm AFAB (identified as androgyne) and Autistic. I know that part fairly well. The rest? That part I've screwed up some. I've even messed up the "how to say that I am generally read as female without saying that I identify that way since I kinda don't..." thing. Intersectionality takes work. I won't deny it. But it's IMPORTANT, blast it.
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