Every year the Center for Neurodiversity Education, Support and Training (NEST) hosts a Expert Speaker Series on a diverse range of topics.

View previous NEST News and Events

Gender, Sexuality and Autism: What we know and how to address our knowledge gaps.

Joseph Veneziano

• When: Thursday December 4, 2025 from 6-7:30 p.m. EST
• Where: Virtual via Zoom. Please email ashleigh_hillier@uml.edu for the zoom link.
• Cost: Free.

Autistic people are more likely to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer+ (LGBTQ+). Despite this, there is still not a lot known about the lived experiences of this population. By the end of this talk, viewers will be able to explain myths and facts about autism, gender and sexuality, gain an understanding of what research topics are socially important to this population, and the means by which we can and should obtain knowledge about autistic LGBTQ+ people. This talk will emphasize issues related to quality of life and visibility of autistic LGBTQ+ people.

Joseph Veneziano is a fourth year doctoral candidate in Applied Psychology and Prevention Science at University of Massachusetts Lowell. His research program focuses on the lived experiences of autistic adults, and creating neurodiversity-friendly practices in Applied Behavior Analysis and other disability fields. Specifically, Veneziano’s research focuses on the intersection of autistic and LGBTQ+ identities, intersectionality, epistemic violence in the autistic community, camouflaging in the autistic community, and incorporating topics such as autistic camouflaging and the double empathy problem into behavior analytic research and practice. Veneziano is an autistic Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who has worked with adults with autism and other developmental disabilities for over a decade.

For more news and information related to the Center for Neurodiversity Education, Support and Training (NEST) visit our NEST Facebook page.