Background: The overlap between autism and gender diversity has attracted increasing attention. Although recent research has begun to examine the lived experiences of autistic gender-diverse people, most studies have been conducted in Western countries. In Japan, where stigma toward autism is stronger and LGBTQ+ rights are less protected, the existing literature remains limited and often interprets autistic people’s gender diversity through pathologizing frameworks. Methods: To explore the lived experiences of autistic gender-diverse adults from their own perspectives, I used an online open-ended questionnaire covering different aspects of life: identity, discrimination and prejudice, everyday life, care needs and experiences, and community. Forty-four autistic gender-diverse adults (aged 19–62 years) who mainly lived in Japan participated in the study. I analyzed the data using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: I identified three main themes. Theme 1: Authenticity versus conformity, where participants aspired to live authentically but felt compelled to hide their autistic traits and gender identities because of social pressure to conform. Theme 2: Belonging nowhere, where participants reported a strong sense of isolation in an unaccommodating society. Theme 3: Personal–political ambivalence, where participants adopted two conflicting orientations to make sense of their experiences—self-blaming and yearning for social change. Conclusion: Japanese autistic gender-diverse adults experienced social and structural barriers across multiple settings, including workplaces, clinical services, and communities. The findings largely aligned with previous research conducted in Western contexts, while suggesting that isolation and internalized stigma may be particularly acute in Japanese society. These findings call for greater awareness and structural change, and the intersectional experiences of autistic gender-diverse people may position them as agents of such change.
Yu Takahashi (Wed,) studied this question.