Autistic Speed Dating and the Horrors of Media Representation
An article by a neurotypical writer made me cringe more than the idea of speed dating
When I came across an article about “neurodiverse speed-dating” my cringe reflex was immediately activated. As middle-aged queer AuHD person I can’t think of anything worse. A response was already agitating itself in my brain.
Reading the article gave me the irks pretty much straight away but for other reasons. The use of the phrase “living with autism” and the persistent use of “neurodiverse” to describe an individual didn’t bode well. And I’m getting a bit irritated with this trend of using “neurodiverse” in a euphemistic way when they usually mean Autistic.
That’s right, it wasn’t written by a neurodivergent person, nor would it appear to be written for a neurodivergent audience. Think Love on the Spectrum: a cutesy feel-good piece for the entertainment of neurotypical people.
I think I was so irked by the way the way the article was written that it overshadowed what it was about: an Autistic man in regional Australia who wanted to give himself and other neurodivergent people an opportunity to connect. A neuro-affirming social worker helped facilitate the event.
