Am I only Trans because I'm Aspergers?

I'm on the Spectrum and I can tell you right now that being gender fluid is definitely NOT a phase. A person's gender identity is not influenced at all by having Autism or Aspergers and the percent of people on the Spectrum that are transgender is pretty much the same as those who aren't. If it were the case, then being trans would be a lot more common that it currently is.

Also I personally wouldn't worry too much about your mother. She's just in a state of denial and is thinking that she must have done something wrong when raising you for you to be trans (which of course she hasn't). If you give her enough time, then I think that she will accept your gender identity unconditionally. It might also be a good idea for you to find some resources for parents of transgender children. They're very easy to find online and it should hopefully help your mother come to terms with everything a lot sooner.

 

Lots of people who are on the autism spectrum are transgender. My daughter is one, so I've seen it first-hand. Her autism absolutely did not cause her to be transgender. She knew before she had the language to tell us, as a result of her developmental delays. She is happy and thriving as a girl, more so than she was as a boy.

It does seem like there is a lot of overlap between the autism spectrum population and the transgender population. I don't think anyone knows why, but it's definitely more than "a lot of Aspie's think they're trans".

 

Curiously there's a lot of overlap between trans people and those on the autism spectrum especially genderqueer/non-binary people.

This is actually something I was looking into recently ironically.

I guess I'll share what I ended up reading:

https://spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/living-between-genders/

The extreme male brain revisited: gender coherence in adults with autism spectrum disorder | The British Journal of Psychiatry

 

It never occurred to me that there might be a connection. I myself also have ASD, and find myself to be more gender-fluid, or bi-gender, I'm not sure what I consider myself. And this is the first time I have EVER told ANYONE in a public place that I have ASD.

 

I have Asperger's, and although I am quite gender neutral, I don't consider myself transgender.

People with Asperger's are more likely to be towards the middle of the spectrum when it comes to gender expression; it has been suggested that this is because they do not naturally pick up on gender norms, which are a social thing, and therefore have a good mix of masculine and feminine traits.

It seems that autistic individuals are more likely than neurotypical individuals to experience gender dysphoria, but it's not as if all your trans feelings would be caused simply by having Asperger's. So don't worry about what your mom says; just do you. ^.^

---------- Post added 20th Jul 2016 at 02:28 PM ----------

Interesting. ^.^

 

Heyo

Another kid on the spectrum here. My mom and I are basically going through what you're describing almost to a tee. Didn't actually think that there was a correlation between my AS and my wanting to be a female in any sense.

Also, OP, your sig is fucking magnificent

 

I have aspergers and I'm cisgender. The thing is, I think the main reason transgender issues are related to autism is due to us having our brains closer to the opposite sex (or mixed) and most autistic people also don't understand or follow gender roles very well. I'm the latter, but I'd still be happy to be a woman. I'm just a woman who hates gender roles and thinks society deserves my middle finger in regards to them, but that's all.

I used to identify as genderqueer/non-binary until I realized I just hated gender roles. I can't identify out of female oppression, and real trans people identify that way for other reasons. So while I get the link between autism and transgender, there can be other issues at play that doesn't make it 100% true for everyone.

 

I suffer from aspergers and ill tell u now dont let other ppl tell u how u feel ur condition dont mean shit if u believe what ur feeling is valid and true go with it cuz tbh im sorta the same where these feelings were easy to push down at first but reacently have become more strong and made me feel more uncomfortable in my body