We live in a society obsessed with labels and identities that we reject those who don’t mark off all the boxes required to be in a specific community.
Whether it be cultural or socioeconomic differences, people set the standard and expect others to fall in line. As a white gay man, people believe that I’m the pinnacle of what the gay community is because of my race.
While race plays a role in any community and conversations regarding this are vital, there’s more to me than that. My neurodivergence is what separates me.
As an autistic person, any ounce of my disability that presents itself is misinterpreted as “weird” if it’s a tic, or “rude” if I come off too strongly.