Are there any openly autistic politicians yet?

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Joined: 26 Aug 2010
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21 Jan 2013, 9:11 am

I think that the answer to the question in the original post is "NO".

No, there are no out-of-the-closet publicly self identifying ELECTED officials in any democracy on the planet- who are on the autism spectrum- except apparently- the original poster here!

you're a pioneer.

Except for you- there are no autistic/aspie equivalents of Barney Frank say ( an early openly gay US senator).

There probably are some elected officials who have been diagnosed on the spectrum, but theyre not public about it.

And there is that one official (mentioned above) who was appointed (by Obama) but not elected

And over the years and decades and centuries there probably have been ( and still are) many folks who didnt/dont know they are on the spectrum who have become elected politicians.

Many folks make a parlor game out speculating about historic figures possibly being aspies (including Presidents). But thats another subject.

Basically- you have no role models. you're it- as far as being a publicly self identifying autistic politician!

Good luck!

Aniihya
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25 Jul 2015, 5:45 pm

I will be running for parliament in my state here in Germany.

lostonearth35
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07 Aug 2015, 5:43 pm

The thought of an autistic politician is very frightening to me. Politicians have to do all kinds of very un-autistic things like shake hands and kiss babies and be around crowds and cameras and people asking them all kinds of questions while they pretend to care. Yes, they do pretend to care, I know this because I have a Worst Case Scenario book that tells politicians how to use body language that tricks NTs into thinking they care about whatever nonsense they're going on about. And politicians have to be good at lying, which is really the only thing they're "good" at. I hate them.

glebel
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08 Aug 2015, 1:06 pm

Given the general ignorance of the mob mentality, I don't see how anyone with ASD would ever get elected.

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ASPartOfMe
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01 Apr 2017, 5:01 pm

David Willingham represents St Peter's on Cheltenham Borough Council.

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HDLMatchette
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11 Jul 2017, 9:19 pm

Look up Freddie Odom. He's the mayor of a very small town in Georgia.

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15 Oct 2018, 12:35 am

MEET THE SCHOOL TRUSTEE CANDIDATE - Corey Walker

Quote:

My name is Corey Walker and I'm running for school trustee. I'm the northern regional coordinator for Autism BC and an autistic self-advocate. After hearing from parents that the schools aren't supporting their kids enough, I decided to run, so that I can make a difference in the lives of our kids.

I also want to address bullying. In recent weeks, we have heard of teenage suicides. These students were bullied so bad, they felt their life wasn't worth living. This is horrible, and we need to do more. One of my proposals is to establish an anti-bullying task force, consisting of school staff, parents and students. This task force will consult with ALL education stakeholders, including parents and students, and will research what has worked in other jurisdictions

Arganger
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15 Oct 2018, 11:30 am

What about that AspieUtah guy on here?

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JustFoundHere
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26 Jan 2019, 6:17 pm

Haven't heard of any politicians who are openly on the Autism Spectrum; it's hard enough for even neurotypical candidates to navigate harrowing political environments.

RELATED: Enclosed is a report on a Congresswoman experienced with working with people on the Autism Spectrum.

http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/c ... house-race

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26 Jan 2019, 7:41 pm

For anyone who's interested, it might be worth investigating the case of Sir Keith Joseph, one of Margaret Thatcher's ideological mentors, and Industry Minister in her first government.

Also Enoch Powell, controversial Tory politician during the 60s and 70s.

There's been some speculation about possible Aspergers in both of these characters, and with good reason, I believe.

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26 Apr 2019, 3:48 am

Texas lawmaker reveals he has Asperger's during Autism Awareness Month speech

Quote:

A Texas lawmaker spoke publicly for the first time Thursday about his struggle with autism.

Rep. Briscoe Cain revealed he has Asperger's Syndrome during a speech on the House floor marking Autism Awareness Month. Flanked by his colleagues at the front microphone of the chamber, the Deer Park Republican said it was time for him to tell his story.

"I, along with countless others who experience these challenges brought on by Asperger's and autism, communicate and express myself in a way that's different from others. If I don't maintain eye contact with you, it's not an intentional nonverbal cue of disrespect. Body language, reading it, and appropriate use of it does not come naturally for those on the spectrum," Cain said.

Cain represents a swath of South Texas east of Houston stretching from La Porte to Kingwood. He was re-elected to his second term last year and describes himself as "a Conservative Republican who supports limited government, less regulation, increased transparency, the value of life, and traditional family values."

A member of the far right legislative coalition known as the Freedom Caucus, Cain talked about how people with Asperger's are portrayed in the media, and in a moment of self-deprecating humor, said his efforts to kill legislation by his liberal colleagues should be taken in stride.

"Members, right now I suspect many of you are thinking to yourself, 'So that explains it.' And yes, your assumptions are correct — that's why I'm highly intelligent," Cain joked. "The media doesn't often get it right, Fox News included. But when they portray every person with Asperger's as some sort of eccentric genius, well, then, they probably got it right. ... The bottom line is if I have to go to the back mike with a point of order that might potentially derail your bill, it's probably just a big misunderstanding. So just go with it."

Cain said he was inspired to speak out after other lawmakers, including Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Public Education Chairman Dan Huberty, revealed they are dyslexic.

"The unfortunate reality is that autism never takes a day off, it has no cure, and, as far as we know, we cannot make it go away," he added. "Instead, our focus should be on maximizing the potential and improving the quality of life for every person in the spectrum. That starts with raising awareness, of having an honest conversation about our own experiences. April is yet another opportunity to do that."

After his speech, the Texas House adopted Cain's resolution marking April as Autism Awareness Month.

anonymous795
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19 Oct 2019, 5:51 pm

I graduated college not too many years ago and have worked a number of political jobs since then, including directly for elected officials. Through this experience I came to understand that not only am I likely on the spectrum (currently seeking a diagnosis), but there is an impressive number electeds who are autistic as well. Frankly I think that these folks do a better job serving than many of the NT politicians out there. They are focused like a laser on the issues they care about and are committed to good governance. Some of the autistic leaders even enjoy widespread popularity. Oh, and by the way I have also had the pleasure of meeting several “out” autistic political staffers who make wonderful contributions to local politics. I say this for anyone out there who’s questioning if there is a place for them in politics - there absolutely is!! Someday soon our society will wake up to the true contributions the asd population has made.

FletcherArrow
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20 Oct 2019, 3:48 pm

We Aspies do not have the skills nor personality traits to be politicians. Honesty, thin skin, difficulty making eye contact, uncomfortable with non-verbals and people and physical contact are not the traits of a successful politician. An Aspie might make a good political strategist or a quant nerd who analyzes poll data or a policy wonk, but not a politician.

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