Picking Up the Pieces: Puzzling Through Autism in the wake of "Gender"

By Margaret J Wetzel

I wanted to have a happy little thesis project, and with Sue the T-rex as one of my young self's favorite female role models, I already knew of at least one autistic girl who'd taken some unconventional approaches to "gender." It was time to spread validation and affirmation to other autistics with all sorts of gender identities trying to figure it out!

Well, the world is a gilded place. The first scratch wasn't so bad - it still shone a glorious gold and tossing in some cautionary reminders ought to balance out the more celebratory sources! Then another scratch came. And another. Scratch, scratch, scratch until I was left with my hands holding thin, golden shreds, my eyes captivated by the mysterious substance I had unmasked.

There was no putting it back together. All I could do was watch and run to others, hoping to collect their observations so that I could record them alongside my own in hopes of understanding what had been revealed.

Those recordings grew, intertwining themselves until they reached the length of a book. It's not the thesis project I thought I was going to write, but I'm no longer the person I was at the start.

From sex stereotypes, language housekeeping, the disproportionate development of dysphoria, dealing with dysphoria, and some poorly designed "intersections," this is my attempt to puzzle through the gold coating and deeper dynamics of autism and "gender." The current lack of well-established knowledge may keep this book more theoretical at times, but I hope it's enough to spark thinking and start a conversation.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0BQ9FCNTJ
• ISBN13: 9798364537591
• Release Date: December 2022
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 404 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"