In my experience, there seems to be a notable overlap in the Neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ communities. I am an administrator for both the LGBTQ+ of FIRST and Neurodivergent of FIRST currently, and our member bases overlap more than one might expect. As such, I think it’s only fair to write a little bit about my experiences as a queer neurodivergent person and the specific challenges I’ve faced at that intersection for this pride month.
Pride Events
This year I went to my first ever pride parade. It was in a small town with only a few rows of booths, but it was still an ultimately overwhelming experience for me and my friends. We left earlier than we had planned because between the heat, live music, and crowds, the experience was a lot to handle.
Pride events are rarely accessible to everyone. Especially taking place in the June weather, often outside, and sometimes on unpaved areas, it can be difficult to get around for physically disabled folks and difficult to stay regulated for neurodivergent folks. We are just as deserving of the chance to celebrate pride, so we need more pride events that go out of their way to consider mobility, access to quiet areas, and other accessibility needs.
Advocacy and Communication
I have been out for over five years, and in that time I’ve done what I can to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. However, as someone whose ability to verbally communicate is limited, at points that has been a challenge in itself. I can’t always approach people at FIRST events and talk about the LGBTQ+ of FIRST, and when being asked questions, I may take longer than others are willing to wait to coordinate my thoughts. Even with memorized responses to the most common questions, advocacy can be exhausting for a neurodivergent person.
On a similar point, it is important that people who may use AAC have access to tools to communicate about the LGBTQ+ community. It’s really very important that everyone has the ability to communicate their experiences, even if they are experiences an outside person might not assume they would be having. Anyone can be LGBTQ.
I hope these anecdotes are beneficial to those who may have wanted to know a bit more about a few experiences relating to the overlap between neurodiversity and the LGBTQ+ community. To anyone who may need to hear it, be proud of who you are and happy pride month!
Devin Pierce
Neurodivergent of FIRST Admin
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