"Just be careful": Sexual Desire and Autism in YA Novels

Abstract

<p class="first-line-indent-western">The past two decades have witnessed a rise in the number of autistic characters in YA literature, particularly autistic protagonists. In line with progress made by researchers and the self-advocacy from organizations and activists that have brought nuance in our understanding of autism, YA novels are offering more diverse representation of the spectrum, even if there is still room for improvement – for instance, the inclusion of more non-white autistic characters, non-binary people, and queer love stories. Autistic characters are now romantic leads in their own rights, and authors explore the way they experience sexual desire and sexuality through their neurodifference (e.g., the need to accommodate their heightened sensory sensitivities). Their desirability is also underlined through the loving eyes of their love interests, sometimes in the form of alternating narratives. All this counters the societal tendency to desexualize autistic people, and disabled people in general. This article explores how desire emerges from a mix of alterity and kinship in my primary corpus: all the love interests are neurotypical and they recognize the differences of the autistic characters while also sharing some of their special interests and feeling out of step with the world. It also considers how authors make use of autistic traits, such as sensory hypersensitivities and doing extensive research on topics of interest, to invite readers to take their time and be well informed when it comes to sexual intimacy.