Not really interested in reading this and it is quite old at this time. I want to try and be more selective of the arc's I request because selecting everything that sounds somewhat interesting.

I absolutely love JKP books. They always open my eyes to experiences that I would usually not encounter, and I genuinely feel like they've made me a more well-informed, empathetic person. I actually have half a shelf dedicated to their titles. I bought this book after reading it via Netgalley, because I think it's an incredibly informative, accessible work and I want to be able to lend it to others.

I'm not autistic, but I'm what the kids call 'neurodivergent', thanks to a little condition called dyspraxia, and this book opened a window into the lives of other people in the arena of neurodivergence. This book therefore appealed to me on multiple levels, as someone who is also queer, so I really couldn't be much more in the target audience.

This book had the potential to be deeply inaccessible, given the weight and breadth of its topic, but it wasn't. Each chapter was sufficiently different to the others to be interesting, and to showcase that there's no such thing as a singular autistic / queer experience. I did occasionally find the experiences a little repetitive, but then again, these are real experiences, so they shouldn't be cut out just for the sake of readability.

JKP consistently brings out books which I just want to throw (gently) at people in the street and say "read this! You'll understand so much more!' and this is one of them. I'm glad the contributors here had the space to say what they wanted to say, and I hope that more people hear them.

This book contains the individual stories of people in the overlap of LGBTQIA individuals and those at the autistic end of the spectrum, as well as reflections from their loved ones, parents and therapists. It is powerful to hear these underrepresented voices, it will certainly help me in working with those in this particular social space.

Gender Identity, Sexuality and Autism: Voices From Across the Spectrum by Eva A. Mendes and Meredith R. Maroney brings together a number of narratives from those who are both autistic and on the LGBT+ spectrum.

Gender Identity, Sexuality and Autism is short read, merging personal accounts with professional advice. It is therefore not only valuable to those who are autistic, but to their friends, family, and those working with them – whether this is in a general workspace or within a clinical setting.

I found the initial content to be interesting, but I would have been disappointed if that was all we received. The interviews are really what hold the piece together, and I’m sure that readers will find them validating in a variety of ways. Personally, I didn’t agree with everything said, or the language used at times, but there’s differences in both age and cultures so that may account for some differing opinions.

That said, the interviews began to feel rather repetitive after the third or fourth and I would have preferred a more organic Q&A with some unique questions for each person rather than just one different statement to respond to per interview. Many of the subjects were cared for/are under the care of the authors so this should have been easy to implement.

In addition to this, the responses from Partners and Parents seemed far too long. We’ve engaged in reading this book as we want to find out more from those who are experiencing this intersection of identity. These responses should have been more succinct.

Readers should be aware that there are insufficient warnings for when interviewees would branch off to discuss trauma, self-harm, suicide etc. A quick line providing warnings for each interview would ensure that readers can skip over any which may be upsetting or triggering, whilst not missing out

The authors provided clear acknowledgements of the limitations of the scope of their interviewees (the majority being white and middle class adults and all are in a stable enough place to complete an interview and share their experience). I hope that if they opt to write on the subject again that they actively work to gain insight from participants who’s experiences have not yet been considered. I did appreciate that intersex and asexual people were included though; they’re often neglected within LGBT+ circles.

To close the book, we are provided with an extensive list of traits for diagnosis of autism. I’m sure that this will prove to be a very useful tool, especially for those who are looking to self-diagnose or seek a professional assessment and would like to have supporting documents.

Overall, it is a very supportive text, if a little too academic to appeal to the masses.

An interesting, evolving book on autism and families handling it. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

This is an important book to read! (I love how many times I can say that in a book review at the moment, there are so many good books about LGBTQ and autistic people being written).

As far as I am aware, there is no proven science on whether or not autistic people are more likely to be LGBTQ+, but anecdotally, it does seem that a large proportion of the autistic population are LGBTQ+. And yet there are still health professionals who don't believe that you can be bother autistic and gay, or autistic and trans. There are health professionals who will argue against a diagnosis of autism because the person in question is also queer, or will tell a trans person that they are only trans because of their autism, and therefore shouldn't be allowed to transition. Obviously this needs to change. And books like this are the start of that process.

(If anyone does know of any scientific data exploring this connection, please, hit me up with it! The topic is fascinating.)

Each chapter of this book is someone's story, in their own words. There are stories from autistic people themselves, talking about their journeys of discovery both in regards to their autism and their gender identity and/or sexuality. I found these the most interesting. There are also some chapters from the point of view of family members and partners (written with the permission of the autistic person in question) that talk about finding out about the autism diagnosis, or LGBTQ+ identity, and about the positives and negatives of relationships with autistic people, and how they support each other. The book is edited in part by someone who specialises in couples therapy, and many of the contributors to the book are in therapy or have been in therapy in the past, and so are in good places in their lives to discuss this kind of thing with good insight.

The end of the book sums up the different themes that the stories touch on, and then there is a Q&A with the editors who discuss the intersection of autism and LGBTQ+ identities, from a therepeutic perspective.

Some of the stories can be a little repetitive at times, but on the whole are enjoyable and interesting to read. The book could have been more diverse, but this is touched on by the editors, who explain that they drew on their therapy participants for the book, meaning that most people in it are from a particular location, are at a good point in their lives because of having had therapy for a while, are from similar backgrounds, and, because of the nature of being LGBTQ+, are all in a position where they do not need to worry about being outed to family or the general public.

I have a quibble, as someone who identifies as bi, with the definition used at the beginning of the book. Bi is actually used by contributors to the book in a number of different ways, so the strict definition of 'two genders' at the beginning of the book seems unnecessary, and is not how many people who identify as bi define their sexuality.

I decided not to finish this book because I found it incredibly repetitive. While the individual stories varied, there was no variance in format or information. This is a book of personal accounts, which is fine, but not what I was expecting.

The writing in this book was so bad. So, so bad. It didn't flow at all; it was stilted and awkward. It was also incredibly repetitive. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I didn't.

Actual rating: 3.5

I was very excited to read this book, because this sounded right up my alley as a queer autistic person. And I did mostly appreciate this book, but I do have some mixed feelings.

First off, let me be very clear about what I did appreciate: this book offers a lot of interesting, important and valuable insights. In that sense, it felt like a very safe space for me to read. I didn't necessarily agree with some of the statements, about how autism shouldn't be seen as a disability, for instance. But I can clearly see the authors have a good perspective on autism as a whole, so it didn't bother me too much that some of my own views differed from theirs. They did go into detail about neurodiversity for instance, and the importance of listening to autistic people, and misconceptions like how autistic people are often considered unable to understand their own sexual, romantic and gender identities.

Something else that I really appreciated, was the authors being very vocal about trying to include diverse voices. They explicitly stated they were unfortunately only able to interview one Black person for this book, and went into the underlying reasons for that as well. But they did interview multiple people of colour, and it was also amazing to see so many queer identities represented.

However, for the majority of the book, I found myself getting quickly bored. And I think the reason for that is the way the book was structured. In my job as an editor, I read a lot of academic texts, and this read a lot like those. And if you do research, of course interviews can be a very important and interesting way to gain results. But as a reader, I'm more interested in the relevant results than I am in reading about the personal backgrounds of all of the respondents.

Overall, while these are valuable insights, I didn't really feel like I read a lot of new information. Especially because it consisted largely of repetition of the same insights and statements. But this book was still very validating to read, and it was great to see so many queer autistic people represented. I especially loved the intersection of those identities being discussed, because they don't exist in a vacuum: my being autistic very much affects my queerness. In that sense, this book exactly grasped my own experience in a way that neurotypical LGBTQ+ stories often don't exactly. It was, for instance, very interesting to see how research shows that autistic people are not only more often queer than neurotypical people, but they also more often identify with the "BTQIAP+" part of the community. In other words, autistic identities less often adhere to the binary and societal norms. There were, for example, multiple non-binary, aspec, and/or polyamorous respondents.

All in all, I think this book is a good example of the way autism research and understanding should be approached: by centering autistic people and hearing them. By approaching autism as a neurotype, rather than always comparing it to neurotypical functioning. But I was a little underwhelmed by the execution.

P.S.: I did love seeing such an elaborate checklist of possible autistic traits/symptoms in the back of the book! The checklists that are often used to diagnose are way less extensive.

CWs: ableism, homophobia, transphobia, abuse, self harm, mental illness, bullying.

Many people on the autistic spectrum identify themselves as queer. Gender Identity, Sexuality and Autism Voices from Across the Spectrum by Eva A. Mendes; Meredith R. Maroney looks at the experiences of these individuals. It tells the experience of both; the person with autism, and the people in their lives. It is an important look at an often hidden section of both; the queer and disabled communities.

I got an ARC of this book.

I got this book, because of my obsession with sexuality and gender. I also got this book, because my littler brother has ASD. I try and learn more so I can be a better support for him. Most of my knowledge came from my step-mother (a huge supporter of some questionable groups and ideas around autism, I have seen her grow more to being an advocate for him over the years in a way that is just incredible) and from being a psych major (ABA track designed to work with "children with autism"). So all of my learning came from people who might have had no idea what they were talking about at best or been malicious at worst. I even have a puzzle tattoo. That is where I am coming from. I am learning, this book taught me so much and reaffirmed some things I already knew. 

I wanted to read and learn from people who are actually on the spectrum. It makes more sense to let people who can speak for themselves and want to speak for themselves do so. The people in this book were incredible brave and gave a window into a life that I was told needed to be monitored, cured, and fixed. If I hear one more time that a diet needs to have such and such vitamins or certain shots should be avoided in fear of autism, I will scream. I am not even part of the community and I am irate. I can't even begin to apologize for what I have been taught and what I almost did in the name of loving someone. 

The biggest thing that I took from this book is autistic people (not people with autism like my psych classes taught me) are people with their own complex feelings and emotions. They can and do have sexualities and genders. They can and do express these. This is all so drastically different from what I have always been told, but I knew wasn't right. It is something I have always had issues with, but this book just confirmed the crazy idea that autistic people are people and deserve respect. So 100% yes.

I loved that the book was created by professionals that started with facts, figures, and giving this book that lens of science that makes it so much easier for my brain to attach to. Then the personal stories both from autistic people across the gender and sexuality spectrums and from close people in their lives. This gave a more complete view of the worlds of these people and made them seem real in a way that a lot of science and diagnostic tools don't allow. This book put humans where words used to be. This book opened up a world that should be respected and supported. 

I did find certain things funny. Learning about autism through memes struck a really personal chord with me. One of the trans pages I follow on social media has been posting a lot of memes about being autistic that pushed me to learning more from people who actually knew what they were talking about. This book was just the first step. I am hoping this book is widely read and the messages are internalized. 

The reason it wasn't a full five stars despite it being such a wonderful book was the methodology and the conclusions drawn. The interview process didn't seem all that uniform, so it was difficult to make comparisons between people. It was wonderful in a social sense of that freedom to learn what the participants wanted to talk about, but it hurt my little academic heart. The conclusions drawn were wonderful, but that whole section was just constant block quotes of things I had just read. It made reading it difficult. So the lack of a star was mostly the ease of reading and me being a super nerd.

I originally had an ARC of this book from NetGalley but due to medical issues I haven't been able to read ebooks for several months. After seeing a review from a fellow autie book blogger I had to get myself it in paperback. And I read it whenever I got a chance. I was really impressed with how easy to read this book was, the case studies of ASD-LGBTQ people and their families, the discussion section, which helped answer some questions my circle of Autistic friends had. I especially found the Mendes and Maroney Autism DIagnostic Key useful as an Autistic person. It seems much more 'experiential' and user-friendly than the AQ-10 or RAADS-R tests. I will be recommending this book to my psychologist at the Adult Autism Service here in Lincolnshire.

The first highlight of this book is the candid interviews with a wide variety of individuals who identify as both ASD and LGBTQ. There are numerous assumptions (usually erroneous) made by the mental health community about both of these populations that do damage to both individuals and the communities as a whole. The stories were revealing and heartbreaking and uplifting and left the reader with a greater understanding of what it means to be doubly marginalized, often by the very people who are trying to help you.

The warmth and support shown by the authors was the second highlight. They talk about the individuals in a respectful way, and although they include responses by others close to them (parents, partners, etc), the ASD/LGBTQ individuals are placed at the forefront. The additional information adds another perspective but never overshadows their realities.

This book is important for anyone struggling with their overlapping identities and for those who love them, as well as anyone who works in a system that is trying to help these communities. The FAQ at the end is also very helpful for people who want to learn more without taking away from the individual stories. A great exploration and highly recommended.

Gender Identity, Sexuality and Autism begins with definitions and explanations. Explanations such as why the authors are looking into the topic, and why they don't use the word neurodivergent to describe autistic people. It's a bit different, in that the case studies are people that identify as LGBT+, but also people that consider themselves part of autistic culture. This book is very clinical. Even though it highlights the voices of the autistic, those stories are broken down into common sections and story tellers describe these common aspects of their lives. The authors are identifying and dissecting an issue for autistics, and for LGBT+ activists to be aware of. The book isn't an enjoyable read, but an informative one. It may be helpful for some autistics that are interested in scientific readings, but it won't make it on my recommendations list for clients. It will for therapists though.

This book is an awesome, intersectional resource for anyone either inside or outside of these marginalizations looking to hear from that perspective. The formatting of this book was difficult to read as an advanced copy, but the finished copy is definitely going to be a valuable tool in a lot of people's hands.

At times this book felt a little long-winded, but it was very interesting to read about other people's lives as queer and autistic people. I am also a queer person who is autistic (I'm currently self-diagnosed but I'm on the waiting list to go through the diagnostic process) so I wanted to read about how these intersections affect others, and this book did not disappoint.

The statistics at the start of the book were interesting, and when I read the traits at the end of the book I just felt even more certain that I'm autistic because I related to the majority of the traits. Overall this book was a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about queer and autistic identities and how they intersect.

I am always interested in educating myself on important, topical issues such as the subjects discussed in this book, even though I don't have any problem with my gender identity or sexuality, and I'm not part of the spectrum when it comes to Autism. Despite it exploring weighty topics I was most surprised by how readable it was; it was communicated in a casual, conversational style, which even a person with no prior knowledge of said areas could easily understand. This is not only designed to inform and support those who are on either the LGBT+ and Autism spectrums but also the general public, and the case studies and first-hand accounts help the reader to view things from the perspective of those in the know, those who have struggled with these issues themselves, as well as the psychologists or therapists who have treated them.

Also worth a mention is the inclusion of a fantastic Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, and the authors do a great job of providing definitions of the terms used throughout the book so a layman can understand exactly what is being discussed. It is a comprehensive and understandable work and is the first book I've found that explores these topics in an interrelated way. What I liked the most was that, unlike other books, the issues were explored in a respectful manner; there was never any hint or intimation of there being something "wrong" with these patients. They are merely portrayed as being different, which is exactly the way I view them, and in my eyes different can often be good. Some of the most wonderful people are those who defy categorisation.

Many thanks to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for an ARC.

5* An informative, and 'from the horses' (both therapists' and patients') mouth' delivery that hits hard.

This book wasn't heavy on the intro, and instead, got straight to it. The authors managed to find a decent number and cross section of patients, and I think that their study was as fair as you can get, given that these are genuine patients sharing their lives, experiences, family, et al. I enjoyed reading how pretty much everyone had someone in their lives who managed to give them what they needed, and that they too, seemed to fulfil their partner's/s' needs; they seemed to be, other than one, contributing members of society, without chips on their shoulders. I liked that not one person expressed that they felt like an out-and-out victim, or felt out-and-out hard done by, but accepted that their choices were in part responsible for their lives, e.g., their sexuality and expression of such might make people (including seemingly, US employers, because UK ones would certainly NOT discriminate on the basis of gender, sexuality or other issue. We're lucky enough to be protected in law by the Equality Act 2010) see them a certain way. I liked that all seemed comfortable with their sexuality, and with their living-it gender, and their autism traits; I apologise if I've expressed any of this disrespectfully.

My curiosity made me get this book, as I (cis female, het) have certain traits that I suspect may come under the autism spectrum, but reading about these guys' issues, experiences, lives, etc., made me feel OK about myself. Not via disrespecting them or via intimating that there's anything wrong with them, but by being able to see their strengths and what makes them good at certain things, which I can equate to. I think it's an uplifting book and one where the therapists have made a huge difference to their patients' lives. I think it makes you see that what you might think are negatives, are in fact positives in many ways, affecting many people and things positively.

I must admit that at times I did wonder why these patients would choose to complicate their lives, because sexuality and your choice of sexuality is very different to the gender you're born as, and the gender you identify as. I do get that both aspects are unrelated, and one is about choice and the other is an innate feeling and belief, but one guy in a poly relationship seemed to have chosen something overly complex to be part of, to bring up his own child, and share in the upbringing of his partner's child, and I suspect that they will have issues, or rather their kids will have issues that are not of their own making, simply via the choices that mums/dads made. Yes, each to their own, but I must admit that the guy featured in that tale seemed rather selfish, which I did NOT at all get from the other pairings/patients. But, I'm not here to judge, and the therapists certainly don't judge, and instead seem to focus on all aspects of their patients' lives and to genuinely try to provide the best care and advice.

I loved that autism was not portrayed as something negative, but as something that made these guys unique in very different ways. Readin this book was a bit self-affirming and uplifting for me, and made me feel 'you know, it's OK to be you'. I think I related most to the guy who saw that his autism was that asset that made him good at his job. I'm glad I read this book for my own benefit in terms of how I view myself and how hard I am on myself, and also because it'll make me see autistic people in a different, more positive light, instead of being wary from the outset. It's killed off a form of not-nasty, uninformed prejudice, i.e., being a bit wary, a bit reluctant to engage with autistic people because of the 'unknown' element, but really, there are can be no stereotypes as each autistic person is unique and sometimes, they might be equally wary of the unknown and of the stereotypes that non-autistic people have likely gauged from inexpert portrayals in media, such as TV programmes, films and news. It's been one of the most worthwhile books I've read this year and I am incredibly lucky to have gained so much education this year via this publisher and its authors.

Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishing for the copy of this book.