Joris Lechêne: The Intersection of Being Black, Gay, and Neurodivergent

One of my favorite quotes is that “If you’re going to be in a long-term relationship with someone, you’re going to attend thousands of mini-funerals.” This speaks to the idea that over time, people change. Their old self dies and we get to fall in love with the newest version of them.

I love to turn this around and apply it to ourselves. If we’re going to be in an authentic relationship with ourselves, we need to attend a thousand mini-funerals. We need to be willing to examine ourselves: our thoughts, actions, emotions without judgment so that we can truly get to know ourselves and live healthier more fulfilled lives. No one illustrates this idea better than today’s speaker, Joris Lechene.

Joris lives at the intersection of being Black, Gay, and Neurodivergent. Not only do we get an inside look into his journey of self-acceptance and celebration, but we get to peek at the blueprint so that we can do the same introspection. We get to see how our own lives could improve if we’re willing to drop the stereotypes, drop the judgment, and truly SEE ourselves. 

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The most sincere thanks to Joris for sharing his story so deeply with us.  If you haven’t followed Joris already on social media we have all his links in the show notes.  Another valuable link in there is the article we wrote regarding the massive overlap of neurodivergence and LGBTQ+ people.  Some studies are suggesting it’s as high as 40% of LGBTQ+ people are also neurodivergent.  Parents and organizational leaders especially should check out that article so that the information can be used to increase inclusion, safety, and inclusion within the most important areas of our lives. 

From everyone at the Pride and Joy Foundation, thank you for joining us today.  We appreciate you, fam.  Be good to yourself! 

https://www.instagram.com/joris.lechene/

https://www.tiktok.com/@joris_explains

https://www.prideandjoyfoundation.com/blog/raisingLGBTQneurodiversekids