🏳️🌈 Meet Vanessa Quinn
She/her, cisgender, queer, autistic, ADHD, therapist, business owner.
What’s your name?
Vanessa Quinn
What’s your identity?
She/Her Cis-gendered, queer female. Multiply Neurodivergent. Social Worker, therapist, business owner.
Discovering My Neurodivergence
Vanessa describes how connecting with an openly autistic psychologist helped her recognize and confirm her own traits.
What was the process of discovering your neurodivergence like for you?
Shortly after I graduated with my master’s in social work, I joined a training cohort to help me start my private practice and I met an autistic psychologist who was very open to sharing her traits with me which is when I quickly realized that I also have many ND traits. I read the book women and girls on the autism spectrum and that’s when I knew. A few short months after making my own self-diagnosis, I was assessed by a local social worker and given a formal diagnosis of Autism and ADHD.
Intersectionality and Neuroqueerness
She reflects on how her queer and neurodivergent identities influence and affirm each other, particularly through the lens of neuroqueer theory.
How does intersectionality impact your experience?
Being Neurodivergent helps me understand my queer identity even further. I’ve always identified as being pansexual because I feel strongly that being in love with someone should have nothing to do with their gender or anatomical body parts, but who they are as a person. Now that I understand the term neuroqueer better, it makes a lot of sense to me why many ND folks do identify as part of the LGBTQIAP+ community.
Allyship Advice
Vanessa encourages active listening, cultural immersion, and full respect for people’s self-defined identities.
Any advice for people wanting to show up as an ally?
Listen to LGBTQIAP+ folks and learn from their experiences. Immerse yourself in our culture by participating in a Pride event. Understand that everyone knows themselves well enough to express their own sexual and gender identities.
What It’s Like Being Me
As an autistic person, she describes life as a journey of survival, growth, and continued self-awareness.
What is it like being you?
As an autistic person, I really don’t know how to answer this question succinctly. I feel very grateful to continue surviving and thriving, helping others, and continuing to my own personal growth journey.
My Spark
Helping others through therapy and learning to live as her most authentic self.
What’s your spark (what brings you joy)?
Helping others through my therapy practice and learning to be my most authentic self.
What’s Difficult
Navigating a world that is not accommodating to neurodivergent people—especially under rising anti-LGBTQIAP+ policies.
What’s difficult for you?
So many things. I consider myself to be disabled, as most neurodivergent folks do. Society is not very accommodating to us, and the new anti-LGBTQIAP+ laws make it difficult to be out and proud safely.
What Helps
Vanessa finds strength and support in her community of queer and neurodivergent peers.
What has been helpful for you?
Having a community of other queer, ND folks.
What Pride Means to Me
Pride is self-expression, self-love, and unwavering love for the LGBTQIAP+ community.
What does Pride mean to you?
Being authentic in my self-expression, having love for myself and my community.
Final Message
“Celebrate louder this month, and know that you are loved.” Vanessa urges us to show up for LGBTQIAP+ folks, now and always.
What message do you want to share?
Folks in the LGBTQIAP+ community need every ounce of our support right now as their safety and individual rights are being attacked. If you’re part of the community, celebrate even louder this month and know that you are loved.
NeuroSpark Health is dedicated to celebrating this community all year long 🏳️🌈
If you would like to share your story with us, please reach out to info@neurosparkhealth.com. Thank you.
