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Trans and Autistic of related interest Gender Identity, Sexuality and Autism Voices from Across the Spectrum Eva Mendes and Meredith R. Maroney ISBN 978 1 78592 754 6 eISBN 978 1 78450 585 1 Uncomfortable Labels My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman Laura Kate Dale ISBN 978 1 78592 587 0 eISBN 978 1 78592 588 7 Transitioning Together One Couple’s Journey of Gender and Identity Discovery Wenn B. Lawson and Beatrice M. Lawson ISBN 978 1 78592 103 2 eISBN 978 1 78450 365 9 The Autism Spectrum Guide to Sexuality and Relationships Understand Yourself and Make Choices that are Right for You Dr Emma Goodall Forewords by Dr Wenn Lawson and Jeanette Purkis ISBN 978 1 84905 705 9 eISBN 978 1 78450 226 3 TRANS AND AUTISTIC Stories from Life at the Intersection NOAH ADAMS and BRIDGET LIANG First published in 2020 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers 73 Collier Street London N1 9BE, UK and 400 Market Street, Suite 400 Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA www.jkp.com Copyright © Noah Adams and Bridget Liang 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying, storing in any medium by electronic means or transmitting) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the law or under terms of a licence issued in the UK by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd. www.cla.co.uk or in overseas territories by the relevant reproduction rights organisation, for details see www.ifrro.org. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher. Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 1 78592 484 2 eISBN 978 1 78450 875 3 Printed and bound in Great Britain BRIDGET’S THANKS Thanks to my chosen fam and community. I wouldn’t be alive today if I didn’t have people who supported me. I wouldn’t have found the autistic trans community without them either. This book is the product of our desires for a world where we can exist as autistic and trans folks. I thank the folks from my communities who volunteered to be interviewed. Our movement will grow and, I hope, we’ll all be treated as fully fledged human beings someday soon. NOAH’S THANKS This book would never have been possible without the help and support of my family, friends, and community. First of all, thank you to my wonderful fiancée Katherine, who provided a steady hand and excellent copyediting throughout. Thank you to Reubs Walsh, who helped with designing this book and conducting interviews. Thank you to Paul McFadden, without whom I might still be fretting about how to start. To Dani Castro, for influencing the way participants were recruited. And especially to all those who shared their stories with us: Alex, Grace, Isabella, James, Moose, Nami, Nathan, Reynard, Sherry, and Tristan. Contents Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 ALEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 GRACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 ISABELLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 JAMES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 MOOSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 NAMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 NATH