I’m not sure about this gate keeping.
When I was first accepting this part of my identity and thinking structure, and why I’d react in certain ways - it really helped me become comfortable by dipping my toes in and saying “well, I’m a little bit autistic, so what?”, before getting more comfortable and understanding of who I was and the masks I was wearing and that it was ok to take them off and say confidently “I am autistic, so what.”.
I think we should allow people that grace to slowly take off their masks at their pace, and if some people improperly co-opt that, so be it
Someone unsure of being “a little autistic” doesn’t hurt me, provided it’s only an introspective admission.
There’s a difference if they say “well, I’m a little autistic, so I don’t think someone else needs support or dignity” of course, and those people should be opposed.
https://youtu.be/-1EKIIM3ShI?si=irO9cP_BQ4v20n6_