Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN)

AWN is committed to advocating for autistic women, nonbinary people, Two-Spirit people, and people of all marginalized genders. We believe LGBTQIAP+ autistic people are the experts on their own lives and identities. 

We work to end the discrimination, stigma, and barriers that autistic LGBTQIAP+ people face, including in reproductive health care. 

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

An overview of AWN’s recent work includes:

• Represented the autistic, disabled, and LGBTQIAP+ community in several important Supreme Court cases, including submitting an amicus brief and attending a rally in support of reproductive justice and access to medication abortion (Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA).
• Ensured the voices of LGBTQIAP+ and BIPOC autistic people were heard in policy-making and court cases to ensure accessibility in healthcare, transportation, the Census, and transportation.
• Published the eBook A Neurodiversity and Gentle Parenting Journey…in Color by Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, our Equity, Justice, and Inclusion consultant. It advises BIPOC neurodivergent parents and parents of neurodivergent children on how to empower their children in their identities, including gender identity and sexual orientation, while preparing them for an often un-accepting world. 
• Created a Voting Rights guide with specific resources for transgender, BIPoC, and disabled voters.
• 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.