"I Feel Like They are all Interconnected": Understanding the Identity Management Narratives of Autistic LGBTQ College Students

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Miller, R. A., Nachman, B. R., & Wynn, R. D. (2020). "I Feel Like They are all Interconnected": Understanding the Identity Management Narratives of Autistic LGBTQ College Students. College Student Affairs Journal, 38(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1353/csj.2020.0000

Publication date: 1 Jan 2020 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Ryan A. Miller
  2. Brett Ranon Nachman *
  3. Richmond D. Wynn

Abstract

Research on both autistic and LGBTQ college students has uncovered themes of marginalization, selective disclosure, and efforts to build community and resist oppression. However, little work has focused on autistic LGBTQ college students and how they understand and manage their multiple identities. To address this gap, we used narrative inquiry to understand how eight college students who identified as both autistic and LGBTQ navigated higher education. We used the reconceptualized model of multiple dimensions of identity as a framework to understand how students made sense of their identities. Our findings indicated these students prioritized salient identities based on context, managed the visibility of identities, and expressed challenges in participating in LGBTQ and/or autistic communities.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Bibliography inclusion overview

These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:31.

Cited references
31
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
2 / 31 (6.5%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
2 / 80 (2.5%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 2 / 22 (9.1%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 2 / 74 (2.7%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
22 / 80 (27.5%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 19 / 74 (25.7%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
20 / 22 (90.9%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 20 / 80 (25.0%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 17 / 19 (89.5%).
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