Neuroqueer: ADHD Awareness Month
ADHD...
It's been making headlines, sweeping our socials, and has been heavily scrutinised as we've seen a surge in diagnoses and awareness around the neuro-developmental condition.
October marks ADHD Awareness month, and recent studies have shown that there seems to be an intersection between neurodiversity and the LGBTQ+ community.
Neuroqueer individuals experience challenges with ableism and homophobia that are unique to the intersection they inhabit. Those living in the intersection of ADHD and queerness can face challenges that compound each other.
For this week's edition of PinkNews Careers+, we've collected some advice from inspiring professionals who live with this intersection and share how to deal with it in the workplace, whether you're experiencing it yourself or someone you know is.
Zoe Gould – Director, Deloitte Digital
"I think my first bit of advice [for queer neurodivergent people] would be look around and see if your workplace has any kind of communities. Lots of places now do have [communities], whether it’s working groups or unofficial social groups, for queer folks or neurodivergent folks. So look and see if there’s anything that exists. If there’s not, is there anyone else in your place that you can see who’s potentially a member of that community, that you could reach out to and see if they’ve got any advice? And if there’s still not, it sounds a bit flippant, but personally, I’d be looking at is this the place for me, if I’m the only one."
Alex Hedlund – Chief of Staff, Neurodiversity in Business
"In queer spaces, you kind of ‘de-mask’. In the same way, with neurodivergence you de-mask in spaces you feel comfortable in ... The biggest thing for me with neurodivergence in work environments is the idea that hyper-focus is something to be fetishised as some kind of means to produce more. Yes, I can sit and I can pump out a lot of work in two, four, six, eight hours, however when I come out of that I’m so mentally, physically and emotionally drained because it’s like being hopped up on adrenaline all that time, that the crash is bad. There’s definitely a lot more work that needs to be done around people understanding what neurodiversity really means and listening to what the individual’s own needs are rather than just saying “Oh, I think this is something quite cool, neurodiversity is a super-power”. But it’s actually quite a naive way [of thinking] that disregards a lot of the challenges that neurodivergent people face... While there may be similarities and overlaps between myself and another ADHD’er, we still have different lived experiences that shape who we are and that means how our neurodiversity presents – or how we’re best supported."
Jude Guaitamacchi – Campaigner and Educator
"With regards to my experience of queerness, I would say that’s something I navigated a lot earlier than I did my neurodivergence. I was diagnosed as ADHD, dyslexic, dyspraxic, dyscalculia at 33. What’s interesting about my neurodivergence is that I’ve almost got a similar internalised shame experience with regards to my ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder], in particular some of the symptoms – for example, over-talking, over-sharing, struggles emotionally regulating...what’s really amazing is that ever since I acknowledged what the symptoms are and accepted this within myself … knowing that has enabled me not to shame myself anymore. Neurodiversity is another diverse part of the human experience, and it’s about trying to accept and embrace myself rather than shame myself."
Nigel Moralee – Flobal ID&E Leader, Amazon Web Services
"You cannot look at neurodiversity alone. Try to understand these experiences through an intersectional lens: a Black, neurodiverse LGBTQIA+ man will have a complete different story to share than a Black neurodiverse woman ... Your identity and experiences are unique, and people around you need to understand that and not that you have to change for them ... Look for an ally in your team. An ally for me is a person who is willing to take risk of their privilege and support and sponsor you to help you thrive at workplace. Look for a community who are neurodiverse or neuroqueer. It helps in bouncing ideas, experiences and initiatives that would help you remain successful in everything you do."
- Nigel (Nige) Moralee MPM, MBA
PinkNews Pride at Work webinar series: Race, Gender & Sexuality - Intersectional Pride at Work & Beyond
Our third and final instalment of our Pride at Work series, kindly sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group, we’ll be getting into the topic of intersectionality at work and beyond.
Understanding how the intersections of race, gender and sexuality impact the lived experience is key to ensuring that employees can bring their authentic selves into their professional roles. To do this we’ll be bringing together a panel of DE&I experts and thought leaders to inspire change and challenge structural racism queer people of colour endure at work and in society.
This webinar is open to everyone who wants to enhance their commitment to all things inclusion in the workplace, so please feel free to share the details with your colleagues!
Join us on Thursday, 2 November at 9:15am GMT
Other PinkNews Articles
Check out some of the headlines you may have missed recently:
One year of Rishi Sunak: How the Tory prime minister has failed LGBTQ+ Brits (Read here)
Creator of lesbian flag homeless and crowdfunding for new accommodation (Read here)
Japanese court rules forcing trans people to be sterilised is ‘unconstitutional’ (Read here)
Tesco, Durex and Contiki among change-making brands honoured at PinkNews Awards 2023 (Read here)
This week's newsletter was curated by Sarah Dean and features quotes from an article written by Erik Niewiarowski.
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More next week!