Not Doing it Properly? (Re)producing and Resisting Knowledge Through Narratives of Autistic Sexualities

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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Bertilsdotter Rosqvist, H. & Jackson‐Perry, D. (2020). Not Doing it Properly? (Re)producing and Resisting Knowledge Through Narratives of Autistic Sexualities. Sexuality and Disability, 39(2), 327-344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-020-09624-5

Publication date: 9 Mar 2020 Added to AutiHub: 4 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 2 (50.0%)
  1. Hannah Bertilsdotter Rosqvist *
  2. David Jackson‐Perry

Abstract

Abstract Autism is conceptualized in much scientific literature as being associated with restricted and repetitive interests, characterized by an ‘empathy deficit’, and negatively impacting social communication. Meanwhile, ‘good and healthy’ sexuality is largely considered to be a social endeavor: asexuality and sexualities defined by acts rather than by partner gender—for example kink or BDSM—are broadly pathologized. Perhaps, therefore, first-hand autistic experiences of sexuality challenge existing assumptions about ‘good and healthy’ sexualities within couplehood. As a theoretical starting point to explore this potential, we revisit Gayle Rubin’s notion of ‘sex within the charmed circle’ to ask whether autistic sexuality can ever truly ‘fit’ within this (neurotypically defined) virtuous sexual arena. We further consider the ways in which the intersection of autism and sexuality is understood and experienced in first-hand autistic accounts of sexuality within a specific context, through analysis of a Swedish online discussion forum in which autistic people discuss sexuality. In doing so we seek both to better understand autistic sexual experience, and to track and deconstruct potentially restrictive assumptions of (non-autistic) couple sexuality more generally. We also consider ways in which assumptions of deficit concerning both non-normative sexualities and autism may have a deleterious effect on autistic people and on research more broadly, limiting theoretical and conceptual understandings of autism and autistic ways of (sexual) being by a default comparison to sexual and neurological norms.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 01:00.

Cited references
63
With a DOI
45
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
15
8 / 63 (12.7%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
10 / 63 (15.9%)
References with detected author names
54 / 63 (85.7%)
Without detected author names
9
Without a structured title
9
Without a stable identifier
15
References with raw author names still to review
8
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
127
From DOI or external metadata
127
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
22
49 / 127 (38.6%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 78 / 127 (61.4%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
14 / 127 (11.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 14 / 49 (28.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 12 / 115 (10.4%).
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