Neuroqueer Meetingplace

Neuroqueer meeting place is a space for adult neurodivergent LGBTQ people.

The overlap between the LGBTQ community and the neurodivergent community is remarkably large. This is an opportunity for anyone who belongs to, or is wondering if they belong to, both groups to meet in a space of our own, outside of neurotypical and cisheteronormative expectations, and discuss issues that concern us and our experiences.

Neuroqueer meeting place has two kinds of meetups. Discussion meetings, with a theme and a clear structure, and Social meetups, where we meet to hang out without as much of a structure.

Practical:

When: 6 pm-8 pm. Se dates below.

Where: at Regnbågshuset, Barlastgatan 2, Gothenburg. Level 4

• 09/12– Discussion – Identity
  • How do our sexual identity, gender identity and our diagnoses interact? What function does making one’s diagnosis or LGBTQI status into an identity serve? What benefits and/or disadvantages are there to doing so? How do we find our own identity when we are not what society expects?
• 30/12 – Digital Social meetup
  • Grab a coffee and log in to meet others during the holidays. Simply a chill digital hangout in a safe space. Join the digital meetup at our Discord server here.
• 20/01 – Discussion – Positive aspects of being Neuroqueer
  • We talk about everything that is good about being neuroqueer. How does being neurodiverse LGBTQI people make our lives, experiences, relationships and everyday life better? What do we contribute to our environment? How can we make the most of these good sides?
• 10/02 – Social meetup
  • Come and have coffee and meet others. Simply a chill hangout with other neuroqueers without as much of a structure.
• 03/03 – Discussion – Body awareness
  • How aware and in control are we of our bodies and what happened around them and in them? How do you relate to your body in the space around it and navigate your body in it? How do you feel and experience what happens inside your body and how do you interpret those signals? Are you more or less aware of what happens inside your body or around it, and how does that affect you? How do we talk about body sensations and functions when they differ from the expected?
• 24/03 – Social meetup
  • Come and have coffee and meet others. Simply a chill hangout with other neuroqueers without as much of a structure.
• 14/04 – Discussion  – Masking and passning
  • Passing privilege, is it always a privilege? When is it, and when is it not? What happens when you hide parts of yourself? Having to “come out” in every new situation. Being seen as “normal” versus being yourself. What is the goal of masking or passing? What are we trying to pass as? In which situations do you feel safer not masking or trying to pass? Are there advantages to masking or passing that you enjoy and are happy about? And what does it cost us to mask or try to pass? How does it differ depending on the situation? And how do we actually take off the mask or dare not to pass? How do we know who/what we actually are under the mask if we grew up with it on?
• 05/05 – Social meetup
  • Come and have coffee and meet others. Simply a chill hangout with other neuroqueers without as much of a structure.
• 26/05 – Discussion – Nöerd theme
  • What are you nerding out about right now? We share things that are engaging us right now. Come and talk about crafts, animals, IT, theater, comics, books, music, plants, technology, art, food, behavioral science, sports or whatever it is that you are into at the moment.
• 16/06 – Social meetup
  • Come and have coffee and meet others. Simply a chill hangout with other neuroqueers without as much of a structure.
    

What can you expect?

The social meetups – social meetups without any particular structure or theme. You can come here just to hang out with other neuroqueer people for a while. Maybe you want to practice unmasking with others, or you have a topic of your own that you want to discuss. You are more than welcome to bring a craft project or a boardgame, or borrow one at site if you want something to do while we hang out.

The cdiscussion meetups – Each meeting is 2 hours long with a 15 min break in the middle.
We work with a mixture of 2-minute rounds, where everyone who wants get to speak without being interrupted, and time for open discussion. If there are many of us, we divide into smaller groups for part of the evening.

Here, anyone who wants can read more about our how we do things, and how the 2-minute rounds are set up:

• 2-minute rounds
• “Code of conduct“(long and short version)

Who is welcome?

Everyone who belongs to both of these groups is welcome. Note, however, that the group is aimed primarily at adults.

Queer/LGBTQI – anyone who is, or thinks they are, gay, bi or pansexual, asexual or aromantic, trans, non-binary, agender, intersex, queer, or otherwise violates society’s expectations of gender, sexuality, or romantic attraction.

Neurodivergent – Anyone who has, or think they might have, one or more neurodevelopmental disability, or variation, such as Autism, ADHD, Tourette’s, or dyslexia/dyscalculia.

What does Neuroqueer mean?

Neuroqueer – to be both a queer/lgbtqi person and neurodivergent (having a neurodevelopmental disability, or -variation).
Neuroqueer can also be used as a verb. “To neuroqueer” means to actively pay attention to and reflect upon how neurodiversity and queerness go into each other, interact, and coexist in different ways in people’s lives and society at large.

Accessability

Read more about accessability at our events here

Are you a first-time visitor and/or nervous about the visit? Feel free to contact us via the contact details below and we can help you find the right place and get into the group.

It is ok to bring a support person to our meetings if it makes it easier for you. Just make sure they understand that our meetings are specifically for Neurodiverse LGBTQI people, and that if they are not part of the target group, they are only there to support you.

Contact

Discord – Neuroqueer meetingplace has a Discord chanal. There we can talk and socialize between meetings, continue discussing unfinished topics, submit suggestions for new themes, and get in touch with other group members.

If you have any questions about the event, or want help finding or getting into the venue, it is best to contact us by phone 031-788 25 10 (sms: 0735 20 88 53), or write to neuroqueer@goteborg.rfsl.se