the-kraken-awakes

If it makes any difference, I would totally be your friend. Lmk if you ever want to talk. I'm a woman but present pretty androgynously (and sometimes very masculine), and I have some church trauma due to how I was treated for my gender expression and sexuality.

I also worked in domestic violence and sexual assault. I'd strongly encourage getting counseling if you can afford it, or at least talk through it with a trusted friend. What you went through is horrible and you deserved/deserve better. I'd be happy to give you resources or just listen if you need anything.

I'm so sorry that people who are supposed to demonstrate God's love for you have entirely done the opposite. It's absolutely unacceptable. I was told similar things because I'm bisexual, though I'm definitely not claiming to know how you feel or say that our experiences are the same.

It's also horrible that your partners/dates have shamed you for who you are. Nobody should be forced to disclose information that's so private and then have to worry about someone becoming hostile and violent. Your ex-boyfriend was using an emotionally abusive tactic and I'm glad you seem to have moved on.

I hope you're in a better place and finding some people to surround yourself with who love you, not in spite of your condition, but completely regardless of it.

Ugh, that makes me sick. And people wonder why so many walk away from faith. If you come away from the Bible with the message that God's love is conditional... you're honestly working for the other side without even knowing it. Sometimes Christians do more damage to their cause than any other non-Christian group could ever do.

*this is not meant to say that there are "sides" between Christians and non-Christians, I was talking more about spiritual sides. Not all non-Christians are anti-Christians, nor do I see them as Satanic/evil lol

Hi, Dr. Price! I'm hoping to pursue a Clinical Psychology PhD, but the subjects you write about are particularly close to my heart because my partner's daughter is on the spectrum, and my partner suspects that if he'd had access to mental healthcare when he was younger, he also would have qualified for an ASD diagnosis. I'm personally not neurotypical myself, though in a completely different way. As his daughter gets older, my partner becomes more and more worried about preparing her for the "real world," especially since he doesn't have the money to make sure she would be financially taken care of after he passes away. I'm certainly not of the mindset that anyone needs to hold a job to have a meaningful life, but we also don't want her to have to fend for herself without tools to do so.

I suppose this is a question that could be applied to any mental health/learning difference treatment, but how do we find a way to encourage kids like my partner's daughter to be equipped for adult life in a way that (1) encourages them to be themselves and resist the pressure to mask while (2) preparing them for the difficulties of living in a society that wasn't really built for people who aren't neurotypical? I'd never want her to become someone she's not meant to be, just like I wish my parents hadn't tried to make me act like I was neurotypical.

I obviously wish we could automatically change society to where autistic people (and people with my own disorder) are entirely accepted and valued. I'm hoping that my future work will help move the needle a bit, and I definitely think that your advocacy and writing are doing a tremendous amount of good. Thank you so much for doing this AMA!