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Lived experience, Think Autism Sydney 2025
Dating is the same barrier for every autistic person, however they present
In short
On a Think Autism Sydney panel in 2025, Kyriakos Gold said he could not watch autistic people dating on television, and that autistic people face exactly the same barrier in dating whatever their presentation.
Read it instead, 5 minutesThe transcript
The story
Kyriakos Gold, who hosted the session, told the panel at Think Autism Sydney in May 2025 that he could not watch Love on the Spectrum. Two of the people on stage with him had been on it. Michael Theo mentioned his time on the show during the session, and Heather Ridge’s appearance on it came up more than once. Gold said he felt uncomfortable about how he dates. Dating is really hard for him as an autistic person, and on television it looks even quirkier than it is. In his own life he does not see his quirks, but when he sees them on screen he recognises them, and “I feel sometimes that I’m other people’s entertainment”.
That came straight after a panellist had answered a question about what the show had been like. “I didn’t go on that show to become famous. I saw it as a chance to help me find a girlfriend,” the panellist said, calling it a wonderful experience and adding that they and Ridge had been on a couple of dates during the series. The room laughed.
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Sources the story draws on
- Dating apps help autistic adults find connection but new research warns of high safety risks (opens in a new tab), Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), Research Centre for Autism Practice
- Review: 'Love on the Spectrum' is kind but unrepresentative (opens in a new tab), The Transmitter (formerly Spectrum), Simons Foundation; Sara Luterman
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