Gender, for a long time, has been presented to children as something simple: you are either a boy or a girl. But the reality — especially for many autistic young people — is far more expansive, colourful, and creative. Increasingly, research and lived experiences show that autistic young people often understand, feel, and express gender in ways that challenge traditional global north expectations.

What Is Gender Creativity?

Gender creativity describes the open, fluid, exploratory ways that many young people (particularly autistic young people) express and develop their sense of gender. Gender creative young people experiment, mix, shift, and invent expressions that feel right for them.

For autistic young people, this creativity can be especially pronounced because:

• They often question or disregard social rules
• They don’t naturally internalise gender norms through social modelling
• They are less invested in “fitting in” to gender expectations
• Their sensory needs often shape clothing, hair, or presentation choices

Gender creativity isn’t a phase, a confusion, or a behaviour issue. It’s a sign of a young person actively exploring who they are — and that exploration deserves support rather than suspicion.

How Autistic Young People Can Experience Gender Differently

Autistic young people often show unique approaches to gender because their social processing, sensory experiences, and communication styles differ from the neurotypical majority. Some examples include:

• They may not automatically absorb gender norms
• Most children learn gender rules through mimicry and social cues. Autistic young people, who often process social information differently, may not “pick up” on these expectations — or may see them as illogical or arbitrary.
• They may see gender as a non-essential category
• Some autistic young people have reported that “boy” and “girl” felt meaningless to them until puberty forced the issue.
• Their sensory preferences influence gender expression
• Clothes that are “supposed” to match a gender may feel scratchy or painful
• Hairstyles may be avoided because brushing or cutting hurts
• Certain colours or textures may feel comforting regardless of gender norms
• Their social communication style may make gender exploration more internal.
• Autistic young people might deeply understand their gender but struggle to articulate it until much later. This doesn’t mean they’re confused — it means their communication path is different.

Why Transgender Identities Appear More Common Among Autistic People

A consistent finding across multiple studies is that autistic people are more likely to identify as transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, or gender diverse (please see bibliography).

Some reasons commonly proposed:

• Greater honesty about internal experiences

Autistic individuals are often more direct and less socially inhibited, which may make them more likely to express gender differences openly.

• Less investment in social conformity.

If societal rules don’t hold the same weight, there’s less pressure to hide a non-traditional identity.

• A natural tendency to question structures and categories

Gender, as a social category, can feel arbitrary — making autistic youth more comfortable rejecting or reframing it.

• Differences in sensory and body awareness

Heightened sensory experiences may make dysphoria more noticeable or distressing.

• More analytical or literal thinking

Autistic young people may seek clear answers to the “why” of gender roles and feel dissatisfied with vague cultural explanations. These differences don’t “cause” someone to be transgender — they simply create space for more authentic exploration.

Can we Know how many Trans and Gender Diverse Autistic People?

In short, no. Here’s why numbers vary so widely in studies:

• Older research used outdated autism tools. Many studies relied on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), which doesn’t reflect modern diagnostic criteria.

• Definitions of gender identity keep evolving. Language like non-binary, genderfluid, and agender is relatively new, meaning many past participants had no words for their experiences.

• Many autistic people go undiagnosed until late adolescence or adulthood. Some young people appear in gender clinics before their autism is recognised — or vice versa.

• Many trans people remain closeted therefore numbers based only on clinic data undercount real experiences.

• Non-speaking autistic young people, and those with learning disabilities are often excluded from research entirely.

While it’s clear that gender diversity is more visible in autistic communities, the exact percentages are uncertain and often misunderstood. Possibly a bigger question might be: why are people so worried about how many of us there are?

How Social Expectations Shape Gender

Gender roles are not biological necessities — they’re social scripts. We learn them through:

• Peer pressure
• Media
• Parents and teachers
• Clothing aisles
• Classroom seating
• Toy marketing
• Social corrections (“That’s not for boys/girls!”)

Autistic young people, may miss these cues, reject their illogic. They may also find them irrelevant or limiting. Instead of instinctively performing gender to fit in, autistic young people can create their own understanding of what gender feels like, looks like, and means. This is not a flaw — it’s a freedom. Their different way of seeing the world allows them to challenge the gender norms that many neuronormative people absorb without question.

A New Understanding of Gender Through Autistic Eyes?

Autistic young people are not “confused,” “misled,” or “mistaken” about their gender. Their experiences are valid, insightful, and deeply authentic. In many ways, autistic youth are offering everyone a more expansive understanding of gender — one that values individuality over conformity, creativity over rigidity, and self-discovery over social expectation.

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