Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN)

The mission of Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN) is to provide community, support, and resources for people of marginalized genders, including trans, gender non-conforming, and nonbinary people, as well as women and girls. We believe LGBTQIAP+ autistic people are the experts on their own lives and identities, and we work to end the additional discrimination, stigma, and barriers to healthcare access they often face. 

AWN operates under a disability justice, transformative justice, and restorative justice framework that centers the most marginalized, including autistic BIPoC and autistic LGBTQIAP+ people. 

An overview of our work includes:

• AWN is developing a resource guide to help adults support autistic trans youth. In creating this guide, we're interviewing youth about their experiences and what they need to thrive and be happy.
• AWN  created a “Know Your Rights” guide for trans people seeking medical care, in addition to a webinar with trans people discussing the guide, “Enabling Access for Autistic Trans People in Healthcare.”
• AWN sponsor and help organize social gathering spaces as well as community connection for trans autistic youth.
• AWN fiscally sponsors the Autistic People of Color Fund (APOC), which is led by majority trans people of color. APOC provides direct financial support to Autistic people of color through micro-grants ($100-$500). To date, they've given out over $270,000 in grants to Autistic BIPoC and their families.
• 2 years ago we published Sincerely, Your Autistic Child: What People on the Autism Spectrum Wish Their Parents Knew About Growing Up, Acceptance, and Identity authored by autistic people with a wide range of lived experiences, including trans, queer, and BIPoC autistics. Published through Beacon Press, it now has 21,000+ copies sold and distributed. All royalties have been split evenly between the authors and AWN.
• AWN has been a staunch supporter of the Equality Act, which would provide federal protections from health care discrimination for LGBTQIAP+ people.