Thread by @AutSciPerson

I moderated a facebook group for a while for parents, with a focus on autistic girls.

I had to leave that facebook group because of the transphobic statements made by parents.

I was called "too aggressive" from other mods when I responded to bigotry & told it wasn't bad.

The parents were essentially telling other parents that the autistic kid questioning their gender identity (which is what the post was about) that autistic children are "often just confused, especially autistic girls." So I responded to that.

Another parent said cis women are more important than nonbinary people and should be "able to be represented" (which just meant "we should be allowed to exclude trans and nonbinary people from conversations and assume people's genders). One even complained about puberty blockers.

I didn't want that kid in that post to be told that they were "just confused" and to not be taken seriously, which is the only reason I got involved with that post. There were several parents all saying that it could just be a phase, essentially.

And at the end of the day I was told I was being the unreasonable one for standing up for myself and other autistic trans/nonbinary kids. So I left. I worry about what is allowed in that group, what parents are saying to other parents of kids who are questioning their gender.

The point of this thread isn't to call out this group (it's been maybe a year since I left? Or more? I don't remember).

I'm seeing a lot of journalist requests for autistic women and I think they're just going to be about white cis autistic women like they always are.

Please don't tolerate transphobia from parents of autistic kids. Please start widening your idea of autistic people, and especially start including people of color in your conversations. Autism can't just be about white people anymore.

People need to see themselves in media.