‘You don’t even look autist’. The anti-capacity movement in the literature of autist women
Abstract
The marginalization of the feminine by sexist history and culture, as well as biological determinism and the stereotypical social representation of women with Autism Spectrum Disorder demand critical debate so that they can be (re)visited by the medical and scientific community, by society in general, for a critical and restorative deconstruction of the precepts, prejudices, discrimination, ableism and subalternizing destinations to which women with autism have been subjected since childhood. With regard to women diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 Support (ASD N1), they have stood out in the fight of the anti-ableist movement, with literature being a fertile ground for dialogue with society, since the hyperfocus on social issues, among so many other subjects, is a bridge to dynamic, complex and intense writing. The purpose of this article is to visit the literature of autistic women who are part of the anti-ability movement in contemporary society, highlighting that autism is also a gender issue using the intersectional feminist theoretical framework as the basis for discussion. Three poems by Brazilian authors diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 Support in adulthood were chosen, whose hyperfocus is on poetic writing: Letícia Mariana, Milena Moura and Jo Melo. His compositions denote appreciation for the art of reading and writing, creativity, imagination and criticality, skills that overcome the discrimination and depreciation of ableism.
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