Zoe Garcia: "Autism is not a limitation: it opens up new ways of understanding gender."

What challenges do autistic trans people face when developing their identities? This is one of the central questions addressed in the book. Autigénero. The spectrum of dissidence: autism and trans identities, by Zoe Garcia, a biologist specializing in gender, educator and member of Col·lectiu Argelaga, an entity that works from self-management to make visible the LGBTIQA+ and neurodivergent diversities.

García is also a trans, non-binary, and autistic person. "We deserve a narrative written from the margins, and for those of us who inhabit those margins to have a voice about our experiences and realities," she asserts when speaking about her book. We talked to understand what happens when these two realities intersect and what social and cultural barriers still need to be broken down.

When you decided that you had to write a book like Autigender?

— It was after my autism diagnosis that I started researching how autism manifests in people who don't fit the traditional diagnostic criteria, designed primarily for cisgender, white, heterosexual men. I became aware of the underdiagnosis among women, trans people, and gender non-conforming individuals, and also how common it was to find autistic people within the LGBTQIA+ community. When I looked for information, I found that most explanations were very scientific, patriarchal, and far removed from real-life experience. That's why I wanted to write. Autigénero, to provide a non-pathologizing perspective and create a narrative from within the intersection itself.

What are the main challenges faced by people who are at the intersection of trans identities and autism?

— One of the biggest challenges is the double violence: we experience the violence that affects autistic people and the violence that affects LGBTQIA+ people. This complicates access to employment, housing, and even reliable diagnoses, because we are often denied one of the two realities. The idea that, because we are autistic, we lack the capacity to decide on our gender identity also weighs heavily, and this infantilizes us. Another invisible challenge is the masking It's a double burden: hiding autistic traits and, at the same time, one's own gender expression. It's incredibly draining and creates a great deal of invisibility.

Let's talk about maskingExactly what does it consist of?

— He masking It's forcing yourself to act in a way that doesn't come naturally to you in an attempt to fit in. It means performing a version of yourself that society considers "correct," whether to hide autistic traits or to soften gender expression. The problem is that every time we do this... masking We are internalizing the idea that what we are is not valid enough, and this has a direct impact on self-esteem.

It will be very tiring...

— Yes. You plan every gesture, every word, every facial expression... Spending two hours like that with friends can leave you exhausted. It also creates a lot of dissociation. Over time, a distance grows between the mask and who you really are, and no one ever truly gets to know you. This disconnection leads to loneliness, emotional distress, and, in many cases, mental health problems.

Many autistic people report experiencing paternalistic treatment. How does this affect their process of self-definition and gender expression?

— When the environment assumes we can't make decisions for ourselves, it also assumes we can't decide about our gender identity. This infantilizes us greatly. For example, a close friend, who is autistic and non-binary, couldn't go into clothing stores as a child because the environment was too inaccessible. The family chose clothes for them, thinking they were doing what was best, but they only brought them options from the girls' section. It wasn't until years later that they discovered they had other possible ways of dressing, and this limited their gender expression without anyone intending it.

— There's a generally simplistic social view that still prevails: it's assumed that if you have certain functional difficulties, you also won't be able to reflect on your identity. This is false. The limitations don't come from being autistic, but from living in environments that don't allow us to be who we are.

You are part of the Argelaga Collective. Who are you and what do you do?

— We combine professional training with firsthand experience. Everyone on the team is LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, or embodies one of the diverse identities we work with. This allows us to better understand real needs and create spaces of trust that are difficult to find in other, more external or academic contexts.

— We have four very important lines: mutual support groups, where we provide spaces for autistic and gender-nonconforming people to share experiences; training for professionals in education, health, social services and businesses; mediation in situations of conflict or violence with an LGBTIQA+ and neurodivergent perspective; and publishing and outreach projects.

Why should it be useful Autigender?

— I would like people to understand that gender is a social construct and that autistic people often have a different relationship with norms: they affect us less, and that makes it easier for many of us to question whether we are LGBTQIA+. For me, autism is not a limitation: it is an opportunity to imagine more diverse ways of understanding gender.