Autigender

Autigender, also known as autisgender or autismgender, is a neurogender which can only be understood in the context of being autistic, or when one's autism greatly affects one's gender and/or how one experiences gender.^[1] Autigender is not autism as a gender, but rather describes an experience of gender that is so heavily influenced by being autistic that one's autistic identity and one's experience of gender cannot be unlinked.

Autigender can be a standalone gender, or it can be used in combination with another gender (e.g. autigirl, autiboy, autienby, autixenby, etc) to show that one's experience of that gender is heavily influenced by being autistic.

Examples of how being autistic can influence gender:

Gender is social construct created by allistics/neurotypicals which autistic individuals can dislike/not understand.
Autistic individuals are more likely to be transgender.
Autistic individuals are often infantilised and are therefore expected to take on different social roles.
Autistic individuals can face unqiue challenges when coming out/transitioning.

One's gender can be influenced by one's autism in many ways. Since gender is a social construct created by allistics/neurotypicals, and social constructs are one thing that autistic individuals generally understand/interpret differently, there are many individuals who may feel like being autistic influences their experience, perception, or understanding of gender. There are many studies that show that autistic individuals are more likely to be transgender.^[2] Autistic individuals may also face unique challenges in coming out and transitioning. Autigender is a way to express this and to find others with similar gender experiences.

Not all autistic individuals identify as autigender, only those whose gender is influenced by them being autistic. Autigender is an exclusive gender as allistic individuals cannot have a gender influenced by autism.

History

Autigender was coined on or before August 25, 2014, by Tumblr users Autismgender and Esperancegirl via MOGAI-Archive.^[3]

Flag

The original autigender flag was designed by Tumblr user Pride-Flags-for-Us as late as July 15, 2016. Green represents neurodivergence. The symbol represents the autism spectrum.

The alternative flag was designed by an anonymous Wiki user on November 15, 2020. The colors represent a spectrum, both for gender and for autism. The red, specifically, represents the #RedInstead movement, supporting autistic individuals, not Autism Speaks. The symbol represents the autism spectrum.