10 Jun 2020, 2:44 pm
Well written, dnd!
Without this becoming a gender war, my opinion is the same. Autistic women are just as quirky as autistic men, and they don't usually attract attention in the ways that NT women would. Many go without finding partners or fulfilling relationships. Without generalising too much, it's safe to say many autistic women aren't social butterflies who go to parties or flirt with people to find dates. They (generally) don't follow the latest fashions or worry too much about hair and makeup. Many are mute or depressed or agoraphobic with social anxiety, and they find interpersonal relationships difficult, if not exhausting and just-plain degrading. They are often conned and deceived because of their naivete and their innocence. It isn't any easier for autistic women to find dates than it is for autistic men, so the gender stereotype is very skewed.
The statistics for sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and emotional abuse against autistic women (by NT women, NT men, and ND men), are all staggering. The fact that men might want to date autistic women because we have vaginas and we're perceived as "low maintenance" (e.g., not needing expensive dates to fancy places), does not mean that we're any more likely to be treated with respect by those we date or marry. Autistic men may have the social challenges and the same difficulty finding a relationship but, generally speaking, they don't have to worry about being molested, conned, robbed, raped, or objectified in the process.
(( With all due respect to male victims of violence ))
10 Jun 2020, 2:55 pm
