Welcome, Alyssa!

Alyssa Gonzalez is a biology Ph.D., professional speaker, and writer. Her fiction uses science-fiction and fantasy elements to explore social isolation, autism, gender, trauma, and the relationships between all these things. She writes at The Perfumed Void (the-orbit.net/alyssa), on the subjects of biology, history and her experiences as an autistic ex-Catholic Hispanic transgender immigrant to Canada. She has also written a book about polyamory from a neurodivergent perspective, Nonmonogamy and Neurodiversity, which she discusses today on our show. She lives in Ottawa, Canada with a menagerie of pets.

Throughout this episode, Alyssa covers the following points:

• Her process and journey of writing Nonmonogamy and Neurodiversity.

• Why we see so many people who identify both as neurodivergent and non-monogamous.

• The traits of neurodiversity that might make non-monogamy easier for neurodivergent people, as well as those that might make it more difficult.

  • Rejection sensitivity dysphoria, alexithymia, and stigma in particular on the side of making non-monogamy more difficult.

• What are reasonable accommodations for a neurotypical partner to make for a neurodivergent one versus what might just be tolerating bad behavior or neglecting one’s own needs.

• Stigma and tropes that exist around neurodiversity and how those show up in non-monogamous spaces, as well as the most effective actions people are taking to make spaces affirming.

Find more about Alyssa on her website, alyssacgonzalez.com, or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.