Okay I'm not back yet but holy FRICK check out the FRICKING Youtube video/podcast episode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VGDWkuy_l4
It's from a podcast "Gender: A Wider Lens" (a TERF podcast, of the "trying to be subtle and avoid looking TERFy but still being really really TERFy" variety -- I have a bit more on that specifically at the end but for now that's just a tone permeating the whole thing), episode 17: Autism and Gender Dysphoria.
So you can guess the sort of things it says (well, lightly hints at) about trans people, but CHECK OUT WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT AUTISM.
The hosts are a psychotherapist -- who her perspective on autism is an interesting casual-largely-uninterested-spent-a-weekend-and-found-some-Neurodiversity-content position, she recs Neurotribes at one point -- and an "adolescent therapist ... exclusively dedicated to gender-questioning teens and families impacted by gender dysphoria" (I said I wasn't going to talk about their opinions on trans stuff, but there sure are Some Things she's carefully avoiding saying there) -- who got her start as an ABA technician.
The episode is WILD, because they clearly are trying to agree on everything -- which results in, like, a rather large amount of the podcast being the ex-ABA defending ABA to her cohost (insert all the default (functioning levels, autism isn't this perfect harmless thing, precious specially children, etc.) bad arguments), and her cohost... just not buying it and trying to move past.
But most incredibly, actual claims made during this podcast:
the ex-ABA therapist describes forcing kids not to play with their toys, and then continues on to talk about how her ABA wasn't like the stuff that's criticized, in fact she is against "ABA... based on a neurotypical behavior"
autistic people are trans because the naive autistic literal mindset makes them take imagined bullies saying "you're boyish" to heart
gender dysphoria is actually just stress from masking
JUST ASKING QUESTIONS "was The Entire Gender Movement™ created by autistic people??"
Lot of gender labels and boxes... autistic people like labels and boxes... Makes You Think!
they freaking reinvent REFRIGERATOR PARENTING THEORY with "The rise in autism diagnoses (which they acknowledge is already explained by wider awareness!) is caused by tech usage! Texting makes autism!" Like DIRECT QUOTE "Autistic traits can emanate from overuse of tech."
That was the one who read Neurotribes. And she said it so CONFIDENTLY. I don't even know HOW.
and then proceed to a few minutes later to bring up sensory issues! It's not like they don't know!
Accusations of transphobia are because trans is a special interest that they're trying to bring up
the fact that queer theory sees everything as related to gender is in contrast to (direct quote) "a more neurotypical approach to life [that] would think there's no one aspect of us that shows the complexity of the human condition"
(This one especially -- like, I honestly cannot figure out a way to parse this that isn't "autism (bad and wrong) causes transness, if they were neurotypical they would understand correctly how to be cis". This was again the one who'd read autistic activists and could recognize the issues with ABA when mentioned. WUT.)
Bottom dysphoria in males comes from autism causing compulsive masturbation, enough to harm the genitals, which (along with autism black-and-white thinking) causes transness
"Autistic meltdown" is a degrading term, they're "really big emotions" (this was the ex-ABA)
I'm just gonna directly transcribe this bit -- "when families are already embroiled in the [their child said they were trans] issue, and then they go 'oh, we need to literally get you tested for every thing, every single thing that could be wrong', it really feels to the teen as though 'you're just trying to find any excuse to tell me I'm not really trans'". ... like, uh, yeah your hypothetical teen there is pretty perceptive.
On just the trans stuff, they also have the typical Very Interesting Choices about around which topics they choose to think about AFAB people, and around which topics they choose to think about AMAB people, as well how much focus goes on detransitioners. Which is always interesting if you're a connoisseur of that.
The other WELL THEN thing -- connecting to the "trying to be subtle and avoid looking TERFy but still being really really TERFy" -- the podcast is sponsored by the American organization RIME (Rethink Identity Medicine Ethics), which is smokescreening the "medical responsibility!" bad faith and apparently actively pumping money into it. Both podcast hosts are ALSO founding board members of both the "Society for Evidence-based Gender Medicine" and the "International Association of Therapists for Desisters and Detransitioners", because apparently the "but medical responsibilty!" astro-TERF field is the same 3 people in 7 different trenchcoats doing accents.
(They're not on the board for RIME -- RIME's board is a Concerned Parent, a Jungian, and a lawyer.)
Anyways, it was COMICALLY wild.
