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Why doesn't autistic identity follow the same format as LGBT identity? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 month ago by CraigOhMyEggo@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

21 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Today's conventional wisdom is that both are spectrums. That means one person's experience with autism isn't another person's experience with autism, and one person's experience as a member of the LGBT can differ from another's.

However, that's what the whole point of the letters in the LGBT is. You could be a lesbian, asexual, aromantic, a lesbian who is aromantic, an asexual who is trans, and so on. Someone I know (who inspired me to ask this) has said they began to question why this isn't done regarding people with autism due to constantly seeing multiple people fight over things people do due to their autism because the people in the conflict don't understand each others' experiences but continue to use the label "autism".

One side would say "sorry, it's an autism habit."

"I have autism too, but you don't see me doing that."

"Maybe your autism isn't my autism."

"No, you're just using it as a crutch."

My friend responded to this by making a prototype for an autism equivalent to the LGBT system and says they no longer encourage the "umbrella term" in places like their servers because it has become a constant point of contention, with them maintaining their system is better even if it's currently faulty in some way.

But what's being asked is, why isn't this how it's done mainstream? Is there some kind of benefit to using the umbrella term "autism" that makes it superior/preferred to deconstructing it? Or has society just not thought too much about it?

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[–] zoostation@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago (1 children)

We need to communicate our sexual identity clearly at a high level because we all need to work out with each other who can date or fuck who.

We don't have as much practical reason to know each other's specific experience with autism right away. And if you are close to someone and need to understand their autism at a lower level, their personal situation is more complicated than being one of five or six types.

And if you do need to understand someone's sexuality at a low level, it could also be more complicated and individualized than just being one letter. But knowing that one letter with sexuality helps as a start.

[–] CraigOhMyEggo@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago

Let us not forget, autism plays a role in dating too. Many people with autism have a hard time dating because, for example, they might have hyperfixations that narrow their interests to a few strong interests, or they may have trouble knowing what things to say. Some people unfortunately can be split between those whose romantic standards are too high for those with autism and people who have lower standards but who often have these lower standards because they fall in that category.