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Living the Venn Diagram of Queer, Neurodivergent and Menopausal

When your intersectional self keeps falling through the cracks

Jae L
7 min readFeb 16, 2025
Photo by Edward Howell on Unsplash

I never really know where the day will take me; what flavour will permeate the texture of it. Mostly, the self I bring to each day is an amalgam of identities, blending into an indistinct and familiar me-ness. But I never know when the day’s events will stir up the internal ecosystem. I never know which particular bits of the Venn diagram of me will light up and take centre stage.

Before I knew I was neurodivergent (AuDHD), I saw out many a day in the company of a self with no name but plenty of descriptions: struggling to cope; easily overwhelmed and mysteriously out of sync with just about everyone around me. There is no doubt labels can be helpful when you don’t have the language to identify, describe and give shape to your inner experience.

I woke up today with every intention of taking my queer self to Fair Day, the event that kicks off the annual Sydney Mardi Gras Festival. Also in tow was a tiny emerging slither that is business owner and entrepreneur me; the one who takes business cards to foist on anyone who might be vaguely interested or even know someone who might be. Off I went, fuelled by an uncharacteristic flush of confidence and self-efficacy.

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Jae L
Jae L

Written by Jae L

Queer, neurodivergent and in the business of asking questions and stirring things up. Conspire with me. diverge999@gmail.com; https://justinefield.substack.com

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