Autism Acceptance: Reading about Intersectionality

I have been writing about autism awareness and acceptance on my blog for a few years now. You can find some of my previous blogs…

• Autism Awareness During Crisis
• Autism Acceptance Month
• Starting with Autism Awareness
• The International Day of the Stim
• Excerpt from Neurotribes

I was asking an Autistic friend for his thoughts on topics of importance to Autists in 2021, and his suggestion was to look at intersectionality. So now I have about thirty tabs open as I have been researching and digging up some resources for you. I hope you’re ready for this!

What is intersectionality?

In intersectionality, someone who is part of two minorities or lower in two (or more) power hierarchies finds that they are discriminated against for more than just A or B, but AB. For example, a black woman is discriminated against in more and different ways than a white woman or a black man.

Intersectionality is a term coined by law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw to explain how several identities can compound each other and create a new kind of oppression.

As a mixed race woman with autism, I have three identities that give me unique lived…