June was Pride Month – a time dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s a time to spotlight the history of resilience, resistance, and remarkable contributions made by LGBTQIA+ individuals throughout history, as well as to stand in solidarity with the ongoing fight for equality.
At NeuroDiverse Online, we strive to be an inclusive organisation that champions equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or neurodivergencec.
This short article will reflect on the intersection of sexuality and gender within neurodivergent individuals.
A recent study found that gender-diverse and transgender people are 3-6 times more likely to be autistic compared to cisgendered people (Warrier et al., 2020). Simon Baron-Cohen, professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge, led the collection of data from 641,860 people for a documentary about autism (Weir et al, 2021). The research found that 5% of cisgender people are autistic versus 24% of gender-diverse people.
The connection between autism and gender diversity is unclear, however, there are several theories.
One suggestion is that autistic people are less affected by social pressure to conform and therefore express their gender more freely than neurotypical people. Whatever the reason, the findings suggest that researchers should investigate how autism presents in gender-diverse people. Autism has historically often been missed in cisgender girls because they tend to show different traits than cisgender boys, and the same may well be true for gender-diverse people.
Navigating identities as being both neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ can make it more challenging to access neuro, gender, or sexuality-affirming care. Many neurodivergent individuals have reported their gender or sexuality to be dismissed when accessing support. Some evidence also points to worse mental health outcomes for neurodivergent LGBTQIA+ individuals when compared to their neurotypical counterparts (Napoli, 2025). This points to the need for inclusive care and acceptance of all types of diversity within healthcare and social systems.
