The SWAN Queer Social (Online)

What Is This Group All About?

The SWAN Queer Social is an informal SWAN social space for all women and non-binary people who identify as autistic and LGBTQIA+

The group is a safe, confidential space and you don't need to be 'out' to anyone about any aspect of your identity.

It's a chance to meet other LGBTQIA+ autistic people, access peer support and information and share thoughts and experiences within a friendly, supportive autistic community.

There is no presentation, no set agenda and no obligation to participate. The session will be facilitated by queer, autistic SWAN staff and volunteers, who will hold the space and support the discussion. You are welcome to just listen to others, share in the chat or join in verbally.

"…queer as not about who you’re having sex with, that can be a dimension of it, but queer as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live.”

- Bell Hooks

For any questions or further information please contact info@swanscotland.org

Who is this group for?

SWAN groups and webinars are for safe spaces for autistic women and non-binary people.

This group is for all autistic women and non-binary people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, etc.

The group is an LGBTQIA+ / queer space which sits within SWAN as a space for all women and non-binary people, so unfortunately it is not open to those who identify as men.

SWAN is inclusive of all autistic identity, including those who are exploring if they are autistic, who self identify as autistic or are clinically diagnosed (private or NHS).

The group is a safe, confidential space and you don't need to be 'out' to anyone about any aspect of your identity.

When registering to attend, please do use the name you feel most comfortable with - this does not need to match your ID or other documents.

Remember to check when you are using Zoom to join the meeting that your zoom screen name also matches the name you wish to use in the group. You have control to change that to the name you want and also to add your pronouns if you want to - you can change this in your zoom account settings any time and you can also edit while you are in the waiting room before the meeting starts (or during the meeting).

If you don't identify as autistic and LGBTQIA+ we ask that you please do not attend this group - it is a space for sharing, socialising and support, rather than a space for training and learning.

Accessibility

We aim to make our groups and webinars as accessible as possible. You are free to participate as little or as much as you feel comfortable - talk, join in the text chat, stim, bring your pets along, or just watch and listen with your camera on or off.

Closed captions are available and you can control whether you want to see them or not during the meeting.

We currently use Eventbrite and Zoom as tools to enable us to run these online groups. We know they have pros and cons and can be a bit stressful to navigate sometimes, so please allow yourself plenty time to get logged in before the group starts - it's fine to join a bit early as you'll just see a virtual 'waiting room' screen until the group starts and the host lets everyone in at once.

If there is anything we can do to make the experience more accessible for you, please do get in touch with us ahead of the group: info@swanscotland.org