Abstract
Background:
Separately, autistic and LGBTQIA+ people report experiencing negative social participation outcomes. Specifically, autistic individuals report fewer friendships but a desire for them. LGBTQIA+ individuals report experiences of family rejection, microaggressions from friends, and discrimination. Based on intersectionality theory, we hypothesize that individuals who are both autistic and LGBTQIA+ may have additional challenges with social participation and require unique support. Therefore, in this study, we aim to describe the experiences of social participation and the supports and barriers for autistic LGBTQIA+ adults.
Methods:
This analysis utilized data from a mixed-method, participatory research study, including qualitative data from 57 LGBTQIA+ autistic adults and quantitative survey data from 107 LGBTQIA+ autistic adults. Qualitative data were collected through virtual semi-structured interviews or focus groups and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Analysts used an audit trail and negative case analysis and checked for representativeness of the data across participants to ensure trustworthiness of data. A survey was developed using the findings from the qualitative data and built in Qualtrics for dissemination. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and merged with qualitative data.
Results:
Participants discussed relationships with family, friends, and intimate partners—however, primarily focused on friendships. Participants described how they “found their people” serendipitously, through shared interests or hobbies, or intentionally online. A subset of participants reported challenges “finding their people,” with specific barriers being challenges online and inaccessibility within LGBTQIA+ spaces and events. Participants reported strategies to safely move relationships from online to in-person, such as identifying safe, accessible social activities of shared interest with their friend or intimate partner(s).
Conclusions:
Autistic LGBTQIA+ adults validate the importance in “finding their people,” yet not all autistic LGBTQIA+ adults have successfully developed these relationships. Identified supports and barriers indicate a need for more support to help LGBTQIA+ autistic individuals connect in person, including moving online relationships safely to in-person activities. In addition, these results suggest the need for increasing accessibility of LGBTQIA+ events, such as additional structured activities within the LGBTQIA+ communities and sensory-friendly Pride event options.
Community Brief
Why is this an important issue?
LGTQBIA+ and autistic adults separately report fewer friendships and experience more rejection, bullying, and discrimination. Many autistic individuals are LGBTQIA+, but there is little information available on the social experiences of people who are both autistic and LGBTQIA+.
What was the purpose of the study?
We wanted to understand social experiences for people who are both autistic and LGBTQIA+, as well as identify the things they thought were helpful and hurtful when developing high-quality relationships.
What did the researchers do?
We interviewed 57 LGBTQIA+ autistic people using a guide that was developed by a research team that included LGBTQIA+ autistic researchers. We analyzed transcripts from the interviews related to the questions about social experiences, such as experiences with family, friends, or intimate partners, to find themes that are described using direct quotes from participants. Identified themes from the analysis were then included in a survey that 107 LGBTQIA+ autistic people responded to. Survey data were analyzed using the frequency of times people reported certain things and percentages. These data were combined with the qualitative data.
What were the results of the study?
We found that participants “found their people” through shared interests or hobbies, serendipitously or by chance, and intentionally online. A few people said they were still struggling to “find their people” because of challenges with accessibility in LGBTQIA+ communities and because of challenges with moving relationships from the internet to in-person.
What do these findings add to what was already known?
These findings confirm previous work that found shared interests and hobbies and the internet are good places to meet and maintain friendships for LGBTQIA+ autistic people. This work adds to these findings by describing experiences where people just connected with one another by chance, later figuring out that they shared identities. It also adds to existing work by indicating a need to improve accessibility of LGBTQIA+ spaces and a suggestion to support communication skills to move online relationships to in-person for those who want to.
What are potential weaknesses in the study?
The participants primarily communicated verbally and had low support needs, which means this information will not be generalizable to those who primarily use assistive and augmented communication devices or another form of communication when establishing relationships.
How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?
These findings provide explicit suggestions for things that community members and support personnel can do to help LGBTQIA+ autistic people develop and maintain friendships and intimate partnerships.
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