Hosted by Today’s Autistic Moment
Key points:
- Autistics Think Outside of Neuronormativity.
- Autistics Are Gender Non-Conforming.
- Nonbinary Thinking is Both/And, Not Either/Or.
- Autistic Nonbinary Leadership is Non-Hierarchical.
- Autistics Have a Strong Sense of Social and Disability Justice.
Transcript:
Autistic Nonbinary Leadership: Binary is the Barrier
June 22nd, 2025
The provided text is a transcript from an episode of the podcast “Today’s Autistic Moment,” titled “Autistic Nonbinary Leadership: Binary is the Barrier,” hosted by Philip King-Lowe and featuring guest Jax Bayne. The discussion centers on the multidimensionality of Autistic experience and how binary thinking acts as a barrier to authentic living, especially for Autistic and Nonbinary individuals. They explore how Autistic people, often predisposed to think outside societal norms, challenge existing systems like white supremacy, patriarchy, and heteronormativity, advocating for decolonization and collective liberation. The hosts also discuss the importance of creating safe, interdependent communities for marginalized groups and the need for proactive advocacy in the face of societal pushback, particularly against LGBTQ+ and disabled communities.
Episode Preview
Jax Bayne and I are going to discuss what it is like to be an Autistic Nonbinary leader. We will talk about the need for open, safe spaces and how we can help each other by thinking past the either/or binary to decolonize society to liberate us to live as we are authentically. Welcome to this episode of Today’s Autistic Moment.
Segment 1
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On July 20th, there will be the one-and-a-half-hour documentary Special Edition: What We Have to Say. Autistic individuals will describe their reactions to the announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. regarding a study into what causes the “Autism epidemic.” The guests will explain how they felt when they heard the news of an “Autism registry” and “data base” and what concerned them most. The guest speakers will also describe their ideas of how Autistic Advocates and our allies can promote a better cultural understanding of Autistic people. A.J. Locashio will join me for the last half hour to introduce you to Autistic Advocates United: An Autistic and Allies Grassroots Movement and how we plan to act with what is happening. Look for this special edition on July 20th.
After this first commercial break, Jax Bayne will join me to talk about how Autistics are living outside of the binary box of neuronormativity through our multidimensional approaches to live authentically.
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Segment 2
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Philip King-Lowe
Jax Bayne, welcome to Today’s Autistic Moment. I am so thankful for your being here today, and so welcome.
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
Thank you for having me. I’m excited to be here too.
Philip King-Lowe
Yeah, thanks Jax. We are going to be talking about a heavy-duty topic today. Everybody knows that my focus for this year is Navigating the Future of Multidimensional Autistic Leadership, and in this particular episode, we’re talking about Autistic Nonbinary relationship: Binary is the barrier. We are doing this discussion in the middle of a year that has been plagued by attacks on LGBTQ people, and in particular, for the purposes of this episode, Nonbinary individuals. And we also, we do know that a lot of Autistics are Nonbinary, yet one of the first actions of this administration was to write and say that Nonbinary citizens do not exist. And it has been very painful for us to watch that that kind of language come forward. But we need to talk about how this group of Autistic individuals who are Nonbinary are, in fact, leaders in this time of attacks on queer people, transgender people, that include the Nonbinary communities. And so, I have invited Jax here today, as an Autistic Nonbinary individual, to talk with us about this subject. And you know, let’s get down to business here. Let’s build a foundation for this conversation. What does Autistic Nonbinary Leadership mean for Autistic Adults to be multidimensional? Go ahead Jax.
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
Yeah, thanks. First, I kind of want to talk about how Autism, in itself, is a multidimensional state of existence. And I think even more broadly, being alive, being human, right? There’s multidimensionality to every unique perspective, but when you have the Autistic neurotype, what I’ve seen is an increased ability to think outside of the social and cultural conditioning that we are bombarded with since childhood. So just being Autistic in itself lends to an increased likelihood to have co-occurring conditions that create differences in sense perception, which influences our cognitive processes, the way that we think about everything. So having a condition like synesthesia, which isn’t necessarily an intrinsic or only Autistic condition, and it’s not that every Autistic person it has synesthesia, but since it’s common for them to co-occur, there is this level of predisposition to see things in this very unique and Nonbinary way. The problem is that I feel that the societies that exist currently are constantly trying to limit our imagination and our thought processes with these preexisting arbitrary categorizations that humans have come up with, and they tend to be in a very limited and binary perspective. So, it can be very challenging to be Autistic and be growing up with this expanded perspective and vision of reality and trying to interface and relate to everybody, and then you’re getting consistently denied or rejected or invalidated because others are not perceiving or experiencing things in the same way. So being Autistic in itself lends to an extra level of multidimensionality, and so that can cause both beautiful gifts in the Autistic experience and what we have to offer to society, but in systems and communities that don’t really encourage or embrace different types of thinking, uniqueness, authenticity, things like that, it also can come with a world of pain for a lot of us.
Philip King-Lowe
Yeah, and that is certainly the case and a reminder to you and our audience, how are Autistics multidimensional? Autistics are neurological, we are physical, we are cultural, we are awareness, we are avoidance, through masking, seeking, relational, personal, social, engaging, and there’s probably many more ways that we are multidimensional. And one of the reasons I do believe that we are experiencing this giant pushback this year has to do with the fact that Autistics and many Neurodivergents we do tend to put the status quo society into a position of having to think outside of the nerve. You know, neuro normative gender normative, sexual orientation, oh, normative boxes and Jax is going to talk about, as I tend to talk about, that, you know, we are neuro queer, neuro queer here we don’t, you know, and we are liberating ourselves from that world of normativity. And that’s among the great reasons why we have so much pushback, you know, so go ahead, Jax and continue with what you were saying, and please add to what I’ve just said.
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
Yeah, absolutely. I personally love the term neuro queerness, even though it was originally specifically coined, as far as I understood, to refer to queerness being, again, a form of divergence. And then Neuroqueerness, referring more to the neurological divergence aspect, but then queerness also being a political term to reject heteronormativity and this idea that there’s only one right way to be in a relationship, or to be in love, or to express yourself in communion with other living entities. That is, I think, for Autistic people with the autos, you know, the autonomy, the self-determination, that is so important to us, a lot of us, if not most Autistics that I’ve ever met, at least, reject any anybody telling them how they should think or feel or do something, especially in a relationship dynamic. If something doesn’t feel right, we will often be the first to say something or to push back against or want to leave that that situation. And so, I really appreciate the perspective of Autism being the cultural immune center of the human species and the litmus test for how toxic the society is like the canary in the coal mine. And you know, it makes perfect sense that if that is what Autism is meant to be, and thus it is a socially positive thing for society, for us to have a portion of the population that is Autistic, for those who are interested in power, especially on a totalitarian level, Autistics are going to be some of the most threatening since. What do we do? We’re constantly questioning everything. We’re constantly bucking authority. We’re constantly pushing back against the status quo because we’re like, but why? But why? It doesn’t need to be this way. And that is very dangerous for anybody who is trying to divide and conquer and create a group think right to control the masses. So that’s, I think, in part, why there has been this long term, like decades, I’ve seen decades long push against the Autism epidemic, things like the Autism Caucus and the Autism Cares Act and a bunch of the big IDD movements and disability organizations, it’s they’ve been pushing for these incremental changes for disability rights, but without a lens of disability justice, with the intersectionality, with the anti-colonial, capitalist, hierarchical perspectives. So, it’s not quite really addressing the needs and the ethos, the mentality, and the shared value system of so many Autistics is what I think a lot of advocacy is like missing the mark right now.
Philip King-Lowe
Yeah, well, I think the movement for Neurodiversity, and of course, that word Neuroqueer was coined by Nick Walker, who is a brilliant scholar, and he’s been on Today’s Autistic Moment in the past, reminds us that queer is really a verb, although my point of disagreement is with Nick is that it is both a noun label and a verb. I think they all work together, not separately. It is a both and situation. I think. Sure. But I think it is important to bring forward what we’re really here to talk about, too is how binary is the barrier. I had been saying throughout last year, and I do hope that I have not jinxed us all by saying this, but you know, every Autistic, even Neurodivergent individual, regardless of what gender they were born at, born with, or assigned at birth, and regardless of their sexual orientation or even gender, we are all in one way or another. Gender Nonbinary, gender non-conforming is what I are words I like to use. Autistic males tend to go directly against, directly, indirectly, whichever words you want to use. Push back against the gender norms. I have had plenty of Autistic men who have been on this show who show a tremendous amount of sensitivity that in a culture of toxic masculinity goes well past a lot of that. And a lot of Autistic women also push back because they tend to be, you know, very assertive, and they also tend to be very I mean, they will take the reins and they will take the leadership role, and they’re gonna run with it at the same time, Today’s Autistic Moment has hosted a number of Nonbinary individuals. AJ Locashio, Oluwatobi Odugunwa, we have had plenty of Nonbinary people here, and it’s part of celebrating LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and Today’s Autistic Moment also calls it Autistic Pride Month. We have made that change. We are celebrating those differences, and I do believe that a lot of the pushback that we are getting is because they do not want these things celebrated as they have been. We have been gaining a greater acceptance and almost being normalized in a culture. And the last thing the current administration and those who are pushing back want is for that to continue to be celebrated and accepted so that I have been saying all season that they are being co-oppressed right now, let’s talk a little bit more, because the Nonbinary folks seem to be the best. Let’s talk about why binary is the barrier here. Let’s dig into that. Go ahead. Go ahead. Jax, yeah,
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
Yeah, the more I’ve been unlearning a lot of the basically neuro normative and heteronormative and white supremacist capitalist ideology I’ve been kind of going into decolonization and collective liberation spaces to kind of just dig into my thinking and kind of figure out where I’m falling into the trap of binary thinking. Because binary thinking is something that is described in psychology and clinical psychology spheres as often a trauma response. So essentially, when a person has a form of psychological, neurological wounding, a trauma, then, if it hasn’t fully been healed, when a trigger, something that is similar to the original wound occurs. That wound gets activated, a person might have a flashback of some variety. It could be just an emotional flashback, that sort of thing, but this particular wounding impacts our ability to respond and to think clearly. So, when we are having a trauma response, our higher cognitive functions, the prefrontal cortex that governs executive functions, so the ability to self-reflect, metacognition, the ability to communicate effectively, to regulate your impulses and emotions, all of this goes offline. And what we’re seeing is that those who have CPTSD, chronic or complex post-traumatic stress disorder, and this seems to be very, very common in Autistics. It’s almost a universal thing here. I personally have not met an Autistic person who does not have some degree of developmental trauma or CPTSD, just because of how traumatizing it is to be Autistic in the world right now. And I don’t know if there is a place where it isn’t traumatizing, but especially in the USA, it’s very traumatizing to be Autistic. So, the prefrontal cortex is the first part that goes offline. Now here is the kicker. The prefrontal cortex and your executive functions are what is needed to be able to think beyond the binary. And when you experience a traumatic event, it becomes extremely likely to have that trauma response that is causing the inability to think beyond binary. So now we have people who are traumatized from birth generations, who are inheriting trauma that’s passed down from their family because of systemic discrimination and what have you know, lack of access to healing. We’ve got global trauma because of COVID and everything. So now we have tons of people who are stuck, and it’s everybody. It doesn’t matter what your gender, your neurotype, whatever, pretty much it is a universal issue. This binary thinking, and binary thinking ultimately is just right and wrong, yes, and no, one way and another way, that is all that can be seen. We’re stuck right. We’re stuck in this do, this false binary in this false duality. So, when you’re Autistic, depending it can be easier to get out of a binary if you are very good at thinking or extrapolating concepts laterally and perspective taking. But that’s a skill set in itself, and some Autistics can struggle with it, and some can excel. You know, just like everybody, the thing is, when you’re Nonbinary, it’s very kind of almost difficult to not constantly be questioning binary thinking. So, when you are Autistic and Nonbinary, you have this increased disposition to be thinking about either or versus both and, which is how you move from the binary thinking to dialectical thinking. And dialectical thinking is what I learned with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, because it taught me that two seeming opposites, two things that seem totally mutually exclusive, can actually both be true at the same time. And if you can’t see how that’s possible, it’s not an issue with the thing you’re looking at. It’s an issue with how you’re looking at it. So, you can shift your perspective, see a new angle of vision that harmonizes this seeming binary and so just being Autistic and Nonbinary has helped me have a guiding compass and a lens to look at everything in a way that is constantly causing me to check myself, to ask myself, am I stuck in a binary? Am I only looking at two options? Is this really the only way. And when you’re always doing that, it’s you move from this power struggle of, you know, constantly trying to fight for power because you feel unsafe, because you feel powerless in this system that’s oppressing you, and you go into this different headspace where you’re like, more problem solving, and you’re more thinking about like, Hmm, if this is the situation, and I’m only seeing two options, it’s either this or this, then the problem is in my thinking, and I need to find a new way to think or to see and so that, in itself, in my opinion, is the key to constantly being able to find freedom and liberation in the midst of oppression. It is going within and looking at the way you’re thinking about things, that’s like the gift that I feel, that I’ve been given as a Nonbinary Autistic person.
After this commercial break, Jax will talk about binary thinking impacts the public discourse about racism and ableism being interconnected with discussions about gender and Neurodivergence.
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Segment 3
Philip King-Lowe
As we move into the second question that is part of every show here, we know that Autistics are engaging regarding this topic, and one of the ways that we create environments to affect change as Autistics, Jax was just talking about how being Autistic is outside of most binary thinking, binary ways of existing. And this is where we get to talk about how we are changing the rules, if you will. And because rules, you can use the word regulation if you wish, I think they both apply here, those rules and regulations that are used to put us in the position of trying to define ourselves as one or the other versus both and, changing the rules is how we create those environments to change, and we know that right now, those places that have been really safer, not just safe safer to protect us in these ways, those spaces are being erased, those spaces are being, you know, terminated. And that includes things like DEI protections. It includes the protections for transgender people. It includes the terrible moves being made regarding disability and disabled individuals. All of these things are being done because we have been changing the rules and they want to they’re pushing back because they want their sole ground to keep us from changing those rules. So, let’s talk a little bit more in depth about that, Jax and go ahead.
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
Yeah, I think that is a very, very true statement. There was ground that was being gained in the DEI and accessibility measures. I think that as conversations started to get towards antiracism and decolonization of, you know, psychology, for instance, de pathologizing natural human responses, it was like we were going in a very good direction, and then suddenly, oh, no, total hijack. And now the pendulum has swung the opposite direction again. And it definitely feels like a direct, you know, response to how things have been going. And so that being said, we can just look at this as Oh, they’re scared, and that’s why they’re acting out like this. And so, while they’re doing horrible, horrible things and dismantling the entire infrastructure of the US Federal Government, right now, we can still come together and not let what is happening and those terrorist tactics get inside and dismay us or cause us to fall into despair or fear mindsets to the point where we freeze and shut down. Now is the perfect time to think about how to create local and even protected online communities, because some, some of us, especially Autistic, right, are well known for liking virtual interactions instead of in person often. So, I am in favor of doing both right, not just local, but also global and digital safe spaces and communities. But really what is happening is that, unfortunately, while anything to do with supporting marginalized communities and historically oppressed populations, it used to be becoming more of a mainstream conversation, now we’re being pushed back into the margins again, and so that means that what I do, professionally, peer support work, it’s going to be the future because it was the past. It’s how we always have survived. It’s how intersectional minorities and people who have been discriminated against and oppressed and persecuted throughout history. We have always had to come together and support each other by creating communities where mutual aid and interdependence that is sustainable can occur. So that’s why I’m totally reinvesting and refocusing on Neuroqueer, BIPOC with disabilities, peer support, like, that’s my entire focus right now.
Philip King-Lowe
Yeah, let’s talk a bit about how all of this is affecting BIPOC. You know, I guess I owe the communities an apology here that I haven’t focused more on BIPOC. Because, because of how you know, the attacks seem to be all over the board. We know of a few organizations. One in particular, I’m thinking, the Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network, also known as AWN that really has been focusing on the Nonbinary and in particular, the BIPOC community. So, let’s talk a little bit more, more in depth about that.
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
I can’t remember if it was them or not. I think I had an interview with one of that if it wasn’t them, it was someone similar, who was an Autistic Women and nonprofit in Seattle, but, and I had mentioned, Oh well, I’m not a woman, I’m Nonbinary. Is it okay? And they’re like, yes, yes. So, I’m not sure if it, it’s the same or not, but that was a while ago. And so, in terms of, well, I don’t really like to follow what’s happening on a federal level, other than, oh, hey, they have cut funding for another social service program, or, oh, hey, they have removed the rights of another group. Like, that’s what it feels like is occurring, and it’s been challenging because, you know, whiteness and white supremacy, as well as the patriarchy and misogyny, have been two of the main DEI conversation topics for the past few decades, and it’s because these are the groups that, in addition to disabled individuals, who have been most targeted and not just like systemically oppressed by legislation and the political system, but systemic in terms of communities, because of the biases that the average person and I’m going to say that while Neurodivergents and Autistics absolutely can also have these kinds of biases and have bigoted and discriminatory beliefs, I find that a lot of Autistic individuals have a little bit of immunity, or at least more of a tendency for introspection or asking certain questions, if they’re raised in that environment and have that cognitive privilege to be able to Do that. Obviously, everybody’s different, but because in the USA, whiteness and misogyny are like two of the central principles upholding the entire system, like, if we’re going back to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers and the founding documents, and we’re talking about how these largely, as far as we know, right, neurotypical, heteronormative white men, and then they put in their documents that, firstly, there was nothing about women, because women were considered property, and then nothing about anybody who wasn’t black, Who was a man other than or who wasn’t white other than black, men who were considered less than you know. So, it is literally codified in the documents. And then these documents, when the Founding Fathers, who were writing them were consulting with the indigenous and native populations, like the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, they basically said, oh yeah, you know, you left out women who are like half of the population, so your documents are incomplete. And, you know, they pointed out the issues, and yet these are still the codified documents that, when that we’ve gone ahead with. So, in my opinion, the conversation of the systemic discrimination that has been occurring since the creation of the USA, you know, regime that’s in itself a conversation about how, not just how do we survive, but how do we dismantle that system. How do we, as some people say, compost the system into something new and something better? And that in itself, is a larger conversation that could be for another time. But for me, when I think about the issues that people of the global majority, people who are assigned female at birth, people who are not neuro normative in the USA, people who have disabilities, all you know, people who are undocumented, all of these individuals in the USA. I can’t help but think that the systems themselves are founded on corrupt tenants, and I’m not sure that we can really save this system like we might need to create new ones, you know?
Philip King-Lowe
Yeah, well, those documents that you were speaking of have also created foundations by which society has built upon, and I have been saying for a long time now that the moves that have been made towards greater acceptance of diverse communities have been pointing out that those structures, those foundational structures, they’re now cracking, they’re now deteriorating, and they’re no longer the only things that hold up. And we are actually asking a lot of people to start dismantling those foundations, and that is what is frightening.
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
Yeah.
Philip King-Lowe
And the thing, the thing is, is that while those foundations may have been made and we think they’ve been contributing, there are many communities that have come forward and have started to, already started to reframe those foundations. You know, the gay and lesbian were rightly accused, I would say, of, you know, we’re changing those conversations about sexuality and marriage. You know, I remember when we when, you know, 20 years or so ago, the gay and lesbian communities were facing those state anti-marriage bans. And if you’ve heard Dr. Devon Price, you know he says these days that the transgender community is now experiencing those same things. It is just 20 years later, okay? And that’s partially because the gay marriage matter has been has been answered. We have now adopted same gender marriages, but now, because that has happened. Now we have the matter of gender, and the gender matter is being aggressively attacked right now, and part of that is because that is like the foundation on which much of society has built its existence. So, and what I want to say is that we’re going to sound like we’re selling real estate here, but I think why it is a wise conversation to have. You know, there are new homes that are being made now that are inclusive of various races, sexual orientations, genders and yes, new homes for Neurodivergents all across the board. And we know that we like to hang on to those old housing systems that have always worked, but these new homes are making it possible for everybody to have the opportunity to have some property of their own. And that’s exactly what is frightening people right now, because, oh, no, oh, you mean they get to own their own property now. Yes, we do. I mean, a couple of episodes ago, we talked with David Gray-Hammond when we talked about Physical Autistic Leadership: Ask us for Directions. We talked about bodily autonomy. And what David spoke of is the fact that if you look at the laws that are being created that are telling people what you can and you cannot do as a matter of law with your body. Okay, that is the most important part of a problem. Because when you legislate what people can and cannot do with their bodies, and remember that our bodies are what we reside in for life, okay, right? When we take that on and we make that, you know, we are making our genders, our sexual orientations our neurodivergence as the mascots for your political debates. What we are essentially saying is that your bodily autonomy needs to be under someone’s control, okay? And that is part of how the binary is your barrier, okay, the LGBTQ+ communities and the Autistic and our many Neurodivergent communities are saying those binary structures must be replaced. And the pushback for from DEI and the pushback is just saying, no, you’re trying to legislate whether or not we can create homes for us too, and in doing so, the result is being set that, you know, certain races, certain sexual orientations, certain neurotypes. We deserve to be homeless, basically. You know, and that is why these systems must change, you know.? And now we’re going to talk about a perfect way to a perfect bridge into talking about interdependence. Because what we are, in fact, saying is that all of our races, sexual orientations, genders, our queerness, our neurodivergence, we are interdependent upon each other. We need to be interdependent upon each other to find ways to dialog, to understand each other. And then I’m going to say one last thing. And then Jax is going to, you know, speak here. Today’s Autistic Moment, I created it so that those who are part of these various communities and others that I haven’t even reached yet, that our voices have now have our safe space where we are now heard without getting into the middle of a televised debate with, you know, whomever runs those debates. It’s time for our voices to have a place where you are hearing us clearly. And that’s one of the purposes to of Today’s Autistic Moment. So that’s why, that’s why it is here. Go ahead Jax and take off from all that.
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
I just wanted to say real quick that thank you for that reminder of why Today’s Autistic Moment exists, because it is so important, so powerful, and so needed to have a place that is amplifying Autistic voices, without that debate, without that pathologizing or infantilizing lens, you know. So, thank you so much for what you are doing and for bringing me on today. And I want to say that I personally am aligned with the Land Back Movement, because I think it makes a lot of sense when it comes to creating new, supportive, intentional community, living structures and systems, right? Because I’ve met a lot of Autistic and queer individuals who a lot of Neuroqueers are super interested in Eco villages, or intentional communities, or supported living communities that are more nature based, and where you know everybody around you, and there is, you know, resources there and such. And so, what you were talking about with land ownership, you know, I personally am not. I align a lot more with traditional indigenous views when it comes to land and like, the concepts of ownership and property. I don’t really like believe in those so much, but I do believe in, like, personal autonomy, and you know, you having sovereignty over your body and everything like that. And then when you live in a community with individuals on a land, there needs to be a symbiotic, harmonious relationship of stewardship between the humans and the land. And so, for me also, because in indigenous cultures, there are records of Two Spirit, Nonbinary individuals who were not just included, but celebrated and honored in their communities as well. They have a lot of models for no hierarchical, non-capitalistic, mutual aid and interdependent communities. So, I tend to look towards native and indigenous wisdom a lot for guidance when it comes to developing new models. So, a lot of when I talk about decolonization or decolonial. It is often precolonial, because in what you were saying, okay, we’ve been making this progress within the current system over the past few decades to centuries, in terms of queer rights and just civil rights and things like that. But go back before the colonizers ever came, and then you’ve got these indigenous ways of being that already addressed all of the issues that we’re trying to now just be seen as normal human situations and aspects of life. So, yeah, that’s what I’m in. So, I align with the Land Back because it’s not about, you know, shipping people back to their ancestral lands. It’s about reallocating the resources and the land so that the traditional ancestral tribes and the descendants of those tribes who were originally caretaking those lands can again have that sovereignty and that stewardship over the land, and then we develop these new systems and communities that are a lot more intersectional, that are a lot more supported, equitable, accessible for everybody, because that already aligns with so many of the First Nations ethos, anyway, right?
Philip King-Lowe
Right, right. Can you tell us if you are and if other ways that we could be proactive here? Because, you know, one of my concerns is we’re so reactive, and we are reacting. Our reactions are valid. I don’t want to take anybody away from that, but I also want to say my reasons for focusing on Autistic leadership here, in fact, in my cover photo this year, I have been saying that Autistic and Queer people are Navigating the Future of Multidimensional Autistic Leadership, and that is that we are being proactive. Let’s add more layers of our proactivity here. Go ahead Jax.
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
Absolutely. Yeah, so here again, looking at the binary and how to move from either or to both and is, is the key of liberating your mental state, and then being able to put your dreams into action, right and your goals and action, because we can have our one main focus. So, everybody has their guiding principle or something. So, for me, I’ve got my little intersection of identity. So, I’ve got the Autistic, the Nonbinary Latina, the plural, the disabled, all these things queer. And I have to find a space. I have to carve out a space in reality for myself, and as I’m doing that, because there isn’t a place for someone like me to exist in the USA society right now, as I carve out this space, there are all of these reactions and emotions coming up, like you’re saying, and so I have to take the time. I don’t have to, but I choose to take the time to invite myself to be present with that reaction, that feeling. I don’t have to act on it, right? So, I might have this impulse or this urge, this feeling, this isn’t fair, this is too much. This is overwhelming. I’m scared all of these emotions, and then I can reassure myself, yes, I validate that that is true. It is true, you know, that is valid that you’re feeling that way, you know. And then I can do a somatic, you know, self-soothing practice. It’s like stimming, but intentionally, like mindfully, doing something that’s calming your nervous system. And then you’re like, re parenting, like, it’s okay, it’s okay. And then when you get to that point where you’re, like, feeling a little bit more safe and calm about it, that’s when we go to the and it’s yes, and so that the and is the door to the action. It’s like, okay. We are dealing with our feelings. We’re dealing with our emotions now that we’ve, you know, really explored why we’re feeling this way, and we understand where it’s coming from. Are we now ready to put this feeling into action, to channel this emotion into something that can actually change the world?
Philip King-Lowe
Yeah, absolutely. I so appreciate your saying all that.
After this final commercial break, Jax will talk about their work with Gryffin Core followed by Today’s Autistic Community Bulletin Board.
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Commercial Break III
Public Service Announcement
The 4th of July is coming up in a few weeks. July 4th is not the best day for many Neurodivergent people and those with PTSD because of the fireworks. The sound of fireworks can be a terrible trigger for the auditory sensory needs of many Autistics. If you are affected by the sound of fireworks wear your noise cancelling headphones to decrease the volume of the fireworks noise, and/or find a safe space where you can fidget or do something to distract you. If you are a caregiver of an Autistic person of any age who is affected by such sounds, please do not make them attend the fireworks as the brightness of the lights and the loud noise from them can have serious repercussions. Let them wear noise cancelling headphones without saying negative things to your Autistic individual who react to those sounds. They are not pretending, nor do they need to be made to feel that they are doing anything wrong.
Thank you for listening to Today’s Autistic Moment.
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Future Shows
Carole Jean-Whittington and I will be co-hosting the Summer of Self-Care Series (SOSS). This year’s topics and guests are, on July 13th, Self-Care Through Story Telling with Tiffany Hammond. On July 24th, Lee-Anne Rueber joins us for Self-Care: Wellness for All Autistic Bodies. On August 10th, Michelle Markman will talk about Self-Care: Boundaries & Holistic Wellness. On August 24th, Lisa Morgan will join us for Strength Based Self-Care in a Medical Deficit Culture.
Go to the future shows page on todaysautisticmoment.com for more details.
Thank you for listening to Today’s Autistic Moment.
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Segment 4
Philip King-Lowe
Before we close today, I have had the opportunity to look at your websites.
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
They are still under development. So, they are not super great.
Philip King-Lowe
No, no, I would disagree with you. I think they are fabulous as they start. Would you like to talk about your websites and why you created them, and what you hope to do through your life’s work, through these websites you have made?
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
Absolutely, thank you. I’m mildly embarrassed about the websites, just because they’re not what I want them to be yet. You know, it’s that little perfectionist tendency, so I’m trying to give myself grace and say they’re good enough for now, and we’ll still be working on them. So currently, they’re serving as placeholders to attract people just to have information about me and the work that I’m doing with Gryffin Core my peer support agency that I’m building in Washington State, and I’m trying to create a new hybrid profession that is part peer support worker and part caregiver in in home, long term care, support, and so this would be specifically for people like us, because what is existing in the USA, especially in Washington state right now, is everything is so siloed and so segregated in terms of social services and support services, disability services, everything like that. And nobody’s talking to anyone else. There is an adequate training that’s intersectional, multidimensional, Nonbinary, you know, moving outside of these individual categories. So, my goal is to create online, not only a centralized directory and hub for resources for people, and kind of like a funneling system so they can more easily get the support they need, but then also create an online community where some peer support, mutual aid and coordination can occur. And then eventually, I’m also going to be starting this expanded agency to offer these direct support services too.
Philip King-Lowe
Absolutely. Well, those sound really great, and yes, they will be added to the Adult Autism Resources Links Page on todaysautisticmoment.com. So, I invite my audience to search them out. Jax, thank you so much for this fantastic conversation. Thank you. You have provided us with so much great information and some things that will really impact our conversations this year. Let me say that Today’s Autistic Moment and our and our network that includes our guests and those who follow us, that we will continue to be here to walk with you through these very difficult times. I also want to take this time to remind you, my audience, to do your self-care, distance yourself from your social media networks that are plagued with news right now that your brain can handle only so much so please remember to turn them off for a while and take a break and spend some time doing something you like with someone you like and that sort of thing. Do take that time for yourself. The other thing I want to remind everybody to do is, you know, follow Jax and follow myself. Follow Today’s Autistic Moment on those social media networks and come and find us. And as well as the work that AJ Locashio does through Umbrella and myself, there’s so many resources out there for you, and they’re all here to support you. So do reach out to us and keep following us. And we will, we will get through these times together as best we can. Jax, thanks so much for being here, and wow, I am so proud of you and thankful that you have been here.
Jax Bayne (they/he) of Gryffin Core
Thank you so much for everything. This has been such a delight. It is always a joy to spend time with you.
Philip King-Lowe
Thank you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Today’s Autistic Community Bulletin Board
All these events and many others not mentioned here with their links are available on
todaysautisticmoment.com/bulletinboard.
The Adult Coffee Club for Autistic Adults in Minnesota are held on the second Tuesday of every month (weather permitting) at Dogwood Coffee located at 2700 University Ave W. Suite 100 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Zip Code for your GPS is 55114. The Adult Coffee Clubs will begin at 4pm to 6pm on July 8th. August 12th. September 9th.
Understanding Autism virtual classes are offered by The Autism Society of Minnesota. The next classes will be on July 14th, 10-11am. August 11th, 12-1pm. September 8th, 6-7pm. Classes are free of charge, but you must register to attend.
On July 31st beginning at 9am to 12pm, Logan Sand and Ly Baumgardt will present a workshop at The Autism Society of Minnesota entitled: Demystifying the “Sex Talk.” Autistic individuals and their support systems often feel underequipped to discuss important topics like consent, boundaries, healthy relationships, and socially appropriate behaviors within those relationships. This workshop aims to demystify those topics and provide tangible tools for their discussion.
The Summer Autism Certification Virtual Class at The Autism Society of Minnesota will be on Friday August 22nd, 29th, and September 5th beginning at 9:30am to 12:30pm. The objectives are understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder and how it can affect communications, relationships, and behaviors. Each session is limited to 15 participants. Register early to attend.
Go to ausm.org to get more information about these and other social and recreational programs, educational events, counseling services and support groups at The Autism Society of Minnesota.
MNeurodivergent is a social club rooted in a vision of bringing Neurodivergent Minnesotans together to build meaningful connections. Its core principle is to foster an environment where all are treated with dignity and respect regardless of ability or preferences. Go to their website mneurodivergent.org for more information, become a member, volunteer and attend their events.
Today’s Autistic Moment is here because of the generosity of supporters and sponsors. Go to todaysautisticmoment.com and select Support Today’s Autistic Moment to donate.
If you have questions about Today’s Autistic Moment, please send an email to todaysautisticmoment@gmail.com.
Thank you for listening to Today’s Autistic Moment: A Podcast for Autistic Adults by An Autistic Adult.
May you have an Autistically Amazing day.
♫ Closing Background Music with credits ♫
All of the guests meet with me on Zoom to record the interviews. The interview transcripts are provided by Otter. The podcast is prepared and edited on WavePad Masters Edition by NCH Software. The podcast is published by Spotify for Podcasters. The Music that you hear is licensed to Today’s Autistic Moment by premiumbeat.com.