Evan Urquhart

There’s also a LOT of us on the autism spectrum. And very, very frequently, all three combined. I have my theories on this, namely in regards to collagen defects impacting neurological development, but it’s never really been investigated. Find it fascinating though.

The autism thing I find really interesting and feel frustrated that there isn't more widespread pushback on it. A lot of "nuh uh there isn't more autism among trans ppl" instead of recognising higher rates of autism is a pattern across LGBTQ people generally.

I can't get further than: Either autistic people's lack of interest in being controlled by arbitrary social norms makes them more honest about themselves OR there's some neurochemical connection, but it's fascinating either way.

I really doubt there's a clear unified cause of being trans nor necessarily one for autism so for me the latter makes more sense - that autism makes inability to tolerate gender impositions in society more acute.

I agree there's (probably) not a clear unified cause of being trans. But, that doesn't preclude there being some biological mechanism that leads to both autistic symptoms and gender dysphoric symptoms, even if it's not a single neat explanation.

I doubt being trans is just one thing- especially if we're talking across AMAB and AFAB- but that doesn't mean GD wouldn't have biological causes/explanations, even if not one single cause. Like breast cancer- theres the BRCA gene but it's only a small percent of cases.

My aversion is mainly to biology as explanatory rather than as the environment which our consciousness emerges from and is shaped by. I think a lot of the explanatory power of biology is very much over sold - we (trans people, autistic people) already appear in nature.

My big concern is that the focus on biology also fails to account for other aspects of environment (eh society and culture), or individual personal development and difference. Taking it away from autism, one thing that interests me is the claims that autism is "rising" whereas..