Today’s Autistic Moment: A Podcast for Autistic Adults by An Autistic Adult

Program scripts and Interview Transcripts are available at todaysautisticmoment.com.  My guest Leah Bauman-Smith and I will have a frank conversation about the matter of consent and sexuality, with very sensitive content that may be triggering and therefore not appropriate for all audiences.  Listener discretion is advised.  Consent is more than just saying yes or no to sexual activity.  Consent for many Autistic Adults applies to being asked if someone can shake their hand, give them a hug and having their decisions respected without the fear of coercion or exploitation. Autistic Adults regardless of their ability to verbalize have just as much right to give their consent as anyone else. Yet, too many Autistic Adults regardless of the level of their support needs have had their right to consent violated.  On the other hand, too many Autistic Adults unfortunately have a sex offender violation to their name, because of a lack of sex education and a healthy social environment to help them make better choices. Leah Bauman-Smith joins me for this very upfront discussion about consent for Autistic Adults.   

My guest Leah Bauman-Smith and I have a very frank conversation about dating, romantic relationships and sexuality in this installment, with very sensitive content that may not be appropriate for all audiences.  Listener discretion is advised. There is a myth that all Autistic people are asexual and not interested in dating or having romantic relationships.  The truth is Autistic Adults really do want to have healthy relationships and sex life. Leah Bauman-Smith joins me to talk about how Autistic Adults can have health and safe relationships, and be sexually active in ways that meet their needs.

Hear the achievements of the first nine months of Today’s Autistic Moment.

Don't miss listening to my commentary about a recent article that appeared about Autistic Adults.  Zephyr James joins me to talk about Autistic Adults and Interdependence.  Interdependence is best understood as relying on each other for a sense of community belonging.  Zephyr is working with The Autism Society of Minnesota to begin helping Autistics seek and find interdependence through healthy relationships, building strong families, connected communities and independence and interdependence.

A Program Script and Interview Transcript for this show can be found on https://todaysautisticmoment.com/podcast-episodes/ein/. Gaslighting is a form of manipulation and abuse by which the abuser makes the individual being abused doubt their own reality.  Gaslighting occurs by lies and cover ups designed to suggest that the person experiencing the abuse has no understanding of themselves, who they are, what they need and how to manage relationships and their everyday lives.  Autistic Adults experience gaslighting with regards to their sensory processing, questioning whether they are Autistic at all, and spoken to as if they are incompetent at living their lives.  Lyric Holmans, the Neurodivergent Rebel joins Philip to talk about what gaslighting is, and how to self advocate to do some self healing and protect themselves.

Regardless of what group of people you are from that has a history of being “othered,” the media plays a powerful role in that it reflects what society looks like. The media is well known for getting everyone’s attention by whatever sensations they create. Autistic people are one group of people that are portrayed and betrayed by the media.  Nicola Whiting, an Autistic Adult and Amazon best-selling author from the United Kingdom joins me to talk about Autistic Adults: Media Portrayal or Betrayal?

Today's Autistic Moment continues our celebration of Pride 2021 with my guest Enzi Tanner as we talk about Autistic Adults: Our Diverse Gender Identities.  Enzi Tanner is a recently diagnosed Autistic Adult, who is a trans man, black and Jewish.  Enzi joins me to talk about what being an individual who is part of many diverse communities.

Listen to why I am so excited and committed to producing and promote Today’s Autistic Moment.

June is LGBTQIA+ month.  June 19th is Autistic Pride Day.  On this episode, I talk a little about my own experiences as an Autistic gay man in my introduction to the show.  Later in the show, I talk with Heidi, Luke and Benjamin about their experiences and stories as Autistic Adults of various sexual orientations and gender identities.

Employment is one of the key issues that impact Autistic Adults. Far too many Autistic Adults face discrimination when applying for a job, getting interviewed and getting hired. If and when Autistic Adults do get hired, they meet so many obstacles that make remaining employed becomes impossible. Samuel J. Levine joins me to talk about what is so wrong and why employers fail to value the abilities of Autistic Adults.