The Atypical Rainbow

In between fan-girling over Sailor Moon, Paul talks about the recent update, Sailor Moon Crystal, and the inclusion of a non-binary character, and two homosexual relationships. They also veer into the world of Japanese Role Playing Games, and the fetishisation of lesbianism and the female form in some Japanese anime and games. Finally, they share their love of life simulator and farming games, especially Story of Seasons where they each got the chance for their male characters to marry another boy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We review It's A Sin, written and created by Russel T Davies. We talk about how the show could be perceived as perpetuating old fears about HIV without balancing it with up to date facts, how it depicts real situations that gay people of that era had to face, and the importance of sexual education for teenagers of all sexualities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Time for a fun story about getting our new Jack Russell Terrier, Zack! We talk about how Coronavirus helped us save enough money to buy him, how Matt chose him name by staring into his eyes, why we feel guilty for not adopting a dog instead (but also why it totally wasn't out fault), and how weird Zack is (making him a perfect member of the family). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk about the recent, but really not that recent, controversy around Dave Chappelle's new Netflix special, The Closer, particularly as it pertains to being anti-trans, pro-TERF, and homophobic. We explore the nature of cancel culture, what might be the best way to meter out the justice, and make comparisons between Dave Chappelle and J.K. Rowling about why one might be easier to cancel than the other. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In what has to be our boldest discussion yet, we tackle the misinformation being spread about trans people, gay marriage, abortion, and COVID vaccines, and take a run at the Australian Christian Lobby and pointing out their hypocrisy. As always, we throw in random pop culture references to Parks and Recreation and Malcolm Gladwell, just to keep it light, but it's mostly political, so hold onto your bipartisan party hats, because it's a political episode, people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Though Paul badly explains the book, he does his best to present the key issues raised in Talking To Strangers: the very human behaviour of default to truth, the illusion of transparency and the importance of context. We broaden the discussion to talk about why we remember bad things better than good things, why we need to allow each other to change rather than holding onto fixed ideas, and how stereotypes are both human, but problematic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've been avoiding talking about COVID too much in Season 2, but now we're facing it head on by talking about things that make us feel uncomfortable in this COVID era, like vaccines and wearing masks. We talk about how a country's culture has impacted their perspective on COVID, the parallels with the London Blitz and what the difference between a "remote miss" and a "near miss" is, and the issues around consent for people with intellectual disability. It's a long and complex episode, people, but we hope it gives you a bit more to think about. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this 2nd episode on death, we talk about how to have the conversation with your parents and your children, and whether or not the family left behind get to decide what your funeral looks like. It's a surprisingly lighthearted episode, so we hope you enjoy it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a much delayed episode release, for reasons that should be clear, we talk about the recent death of a family member. We process how it affected us, how we feel about funerals, and how to manage the conflicting feelings of mourning someone that you're not sure you know all that well, or no longer recognise as the person you cared for. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In another example of Paul over-relating to the content, we discuss parent-child relationships, how autism can affect one's familial interactions and argue about whether or not the queer representation in The Mitchells Vs. The Machines was obvious enough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inspired by Puzzle Rush, an episode of Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast, we take the autistic perspective on exam performance and ask whether or not all the anxiety around it actually equates to anything of value. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you ever wish you were 16 again? Is it because of your good looks? Your group of friends? Me, I like the idea of having no responsibility. I miss having no responsibility. That's what we talk about in this episode - what does it take to be an adult, and why can't we treat adults like kids, giving them support and care and expecting only so much from them? Why do we tell each other that we have to be okay with being alone? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medical discrimination is everywhere and creates barriers for LGBTQIA+ people and people with a disability, reducing access to services, and reducing the likelihood that medical assistance will be sought in times of need. Why is it there and how do we overcome it? Let us try and solve that with our fast-paced ramblings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to be a good person? What entitles a person to forgiveness? Where is the line beyond which redemption is not achievable? We superficially answer these questions, while namedropping The Drum, The Good Place, New Girl and other TV shows, on this week's episode of The Atypical Rainbow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Travelling with kids is hard enough. Try travelling with autistic twins. We spent time building up their resilience, getting them used to being away from home and equipping ourselves with every piece of electronic entertainment imaginable in preparation for our first overseas trip, which turned out to be a massive success, not because of our preparation, but because Japan is amazing and has all the things we love: Nintendo, Pokemon and joyous people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk about our personal experiences with the diagnostic process, plus Paul throws in some of the more clinical aspects for a peek behind the medical curtain. If you ever wondered whether you or someone else had autism but weren't sure what to look for, this is the episode to listen to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inclusion and diversity in media: people talk about it, but how do you go about doing it? We talk about good examples (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and bad examples (The Little Mermaid), and whether you need to represent the entire spectrum of personality archetypes within the rainbow in order to be balanced. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Look, you can watch Music if you like, but we only did it so we could comment on it, and there's a lot to comment on. From the use of physical restraint, to the difference between autism and Intellectual Disability, to the idea of the "magical disabled person", to casting autistic people in autistic roles, and finally listing better media about disability (TV shows like Speechless and Everything's Gonna Be Okay). Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our first ever AR AV Club, we talk about The Prom, directed by Ryan Murphy based on the Broadway musical, and explore the issues around it in a very Atypical way. We talk about James Corden's "gay-face" portrayal, gay representation, and spend an awful lot of time debating about whether we should only support good gay cinema, or whether we should celebrate all of it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We apologise for the lengthy conversation about telehealth in Australia. You might find it interesting. Maybe. We're sorry.Otherwise, there is far more interesting discussion about how to navigate office relationships, and how autism can affect how we expect our co-workers to behave. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We explore our own personal identities, what defines us, and how it influences the way we view the world. We talk about how neither of us feel like we meet the gay standard, how porn skews not only your view of sex, but your view of yourself, and the reasons behind why we chose to, or chose not to, get formally assessed for Autism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this, our final episode for 2020 and the end of our very first season of podcasting, we reminisce about family occasions that have exhausted and occupied us, including birthdays, Christmases and Chinese New Years. We talk about how we use our children to escape family occasions, how to navigate familial demands, and why 1st birthday parties are sort of dumb, but only in hindsight. Merry end of the year to us all! 2020, we can't wait to see the back of you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the wake of a new puppy causing us sleepless nights, we talk about the responsibilities of being a parent and how the room it takes up in your life requires you to give up something. We talking about the myth of "having it all", how having a family influences the career choices you make, how our parents' decisions influence our parenting style and, finally, why Matt will not longer make Grant a robot so that he remains immortal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Using the jumping off point of The Good Place, Season 4, Episode 9, "The Answer", we talk about why the search for answers is never-ending and, invariably, unsatisfying. We talk about how why we receive advice differently from our parents than we do others, how we would want to build a healthy teenage-parent relationship with our kids, how multipotentiality and choice can be crippling, and why religion makes the dilemma of choice so much easier (and no, this is not some religious conversion episode). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the toddler years, Grant and I explored a variety of different kid-based activities to help increase their exposure to new things, to add more structure to our week and so that Grant didn't feel like a hermit anymore. In this episode, we talk about our adventures through toddler classes, including, Japanese right brain training classes (disaster), Leaping Lizards (like Kindergym, only sportier), music class (including the dreaded recorder), art class, soccer, karate and even ASD-specific gymnastics classes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENT WARNING: in this episode, we mention suicide, euthanasia, gun violence, war, cancer and domestic violence, but do not discuss it in great detail. If any of these topics cause you distress, we recommend you do not listen to this episode. If you are experiencing any trauma, family violence or mental illness, please seek the help of your local health professional or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.In this episode, we talk about whether honesty is a black-and-white virtue. We discuss how honest we will be with our kids on sensitive matters, the effect of honesty on friendships, why sitcoms gave us the wrong idea about sex, why Matt wants to be a Hufflepuff, why Jake is a justice warrior and why honesty is a 2 way street. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our "History" double-header, we were inspired by Neurotribes, a book we've mentioned a few times in previous episodes, to talk about Nazis (always a fun topic), how an early diagnosis can positively and negatively influences your choices, why diagnosing Albert Einstein with autism is technically impossible, and why perception of autism influences how a person with autism is and could be treated. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We dive back into the political cesspool, starting with our personal coming out experiences and how society's perception of homosexuality defined our choices. We then broaden out to the history of gay rights, the importance of finding your people in the 1960s and our fears and hopes for the future. All we ask is that history does not repeat itself, and we hope that we, as a society, can achieve that through vigilance, acceptance and by honouring those before us who fought for the rights we have now. We talk about backsliding, Royal Commissions and ask the question: what will it take for society to change? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is giving children with autism a blue pail for Halloween discrimination or is it a kindness? We talk about how labels and accommodation can be viewed as either a tool of exclusion or inclusion, depending on the action and the intent. We talk about Cerebral Palsy and the Paralympics, the discrimination of low expectations and, most importantly, human kindness. Happy Halloween to those celebrating it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The simple answer is that happiness is a shared responsibility. The real answer is far more complicated, and requires every individual to acknowledge their role in someone's life and to recognise how they influence another person's happiness. Whether it's by supporting their needs or accepting their identities, everyone can make a difference. We talk about individual responsibility, the frustrations that come with having to explain your needs and how kindness should be priority number one for everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our very first interview, we talk to Terry about his experience with Australian altruistic surrogacy. He talks about having a baby in the time of COVID (particularly in light of Melbourne's lockdown), how altruistic surrogacy is like group dating, the different ways that he and his partner, Ben, tried to make their family, and tells us what he wish he'd known before entering the surrogacy process. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of the "Relationships" trilogy, we talk about how ASD affects your relationship with your family, and the cultural obligations that are often placed upon you, whether it's a refugee mentality or from being stereotypically white. We talk about puberty and the combination of hormones and ASD. Finally, we talk about what we wish for our children as they grow up and how we, as parents, want to approach their problems to ensure that their lives are as smooth as possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 2nd episode of the "Relationships" trilogy, we discuss the challenges that people with ASD face when considering, or being already in, a romantic relationship. We talk about the idea of a practice girlfriend, how to establish the rules of a relationship, why the small things genuinely do matter, and why romantic movies and TV can set dangerous precedents. We talk about what we want to teach our children, the effect of culture on relationships (particularly in relation to South Korean women) and why our first fight was about the ending of Watchmen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of our "Relationships" trilogy, we talk about the importance of friendships and how difficult it is for someone with ASD to both start and maintain friendships. We discuss our disastrous experiences with socialising, the paralysis that comes with the fear of rejection, the blessings of second chances and how Matt and Jake are different social creatures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this long overdue episode, we randomly talk about life with twins, including potty training, off-set feeding schedules, the luxury of able-bodied grandparents, dummy-obsessions and the overall feeling of exhaustion you get from having two babies demand your attention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In what is, arguably, our most intense and socially conscious episode, we talk about the concept of "anti-straight discrimination" in relation to the recent Jeremy Roenick lawsuit. We explore the ideas of privilege, power dynamics, sexual harassment and bullying and explore whether commenting on another person's body in a professional capacity is ever okay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of the "Representation" trilogy, we talk about how depictions of bigotry have evolved over time, with 80s sitcoms and movies using "gay panic" as a comedic device, to the association of bigotry with villainy. We talk about Hamilton, Sex Education, Locke & Key, Cheers, Murphy Brown, Mormon cinema, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Friends, Transamerica, She-Ra, and Stranger Things. We talk about how nostalgia and personal affection can influence our feelings about a person's bigoted comment, why the quality of a bigoted joke seems to influence whether it's accepted or not and, most significantly, we talk about redemption arcs and whether or not bigotry can be accepted so long as the person is remorseful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 2nd episode of the unplanned, unintended "Representation" series, we talk about Autistic representation in media. In this episode, we mention Steve Silberman, author of Neurotribes, Rain Man, Parenthood and Max Braverman, Jason Katims, Atypical, The A Word, The Big Bang Theory, Everything's Gonna Be Okay, Julia from Sesame Street, The Golden Girls, The Good Doctor, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, You Can't Ask That, Fresh Off The Boat, The Family Law, and Entrapta from She-Ra and The Princesses of Power. We discuss whether a label is harmful or helpful and how common beliefs about gifted children likely has origins in ASD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is another nerd-tastic episode, so be fair warned. We will discuss the TV shows Arthur, She-Ra and The Princesses of Power, The Legend of Korra, Onward, Game of Thrones, Will & Grace, Friends, Ellen, The Dragon Prince, Brave New World, Better Off Ted, Locke and Key and Faking It. Phew! We breakdown queer representation and whether or not background characters or end-of-series reveals are good enough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Victoria going into Stage 4 lockdowns, we talk about how neuroatypical people can sometimes struggle with differentiating between Equality and Fairness, with a common attribute being an overwhelming sense of justice. We talk about the subjective nature of "justice", how it applies on small scales (e.g. between siblings playing ROBLOX) and large scales (talking about Coronavirus restrictions). We namedrop Coronacast and Norman Swan, So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson, Andrew Garfield in Boy A and the Ruby Princess, all with a view to answering the question: what is fairness? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you spend time with the children? Doing what they want, or doing what you want? In this episode, we talk about pushing young children on swings for 45 minutes, YouTube monologuing, how to teach children with autism how to smack talk and the dangers board-game-flipping family members. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With COVID forcing all of us into our homes, particularly us unlucky Victorians and our second-wave-not-a-second-wave, we explore the difference between being alone versus feeling lonely. We branch out into the impact of yelling, how to meet different autistic siblings needs to be either alone or together, the exhaustion that comes from acting normal and how to balance your personal mental health with your parental duties. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is, quite possibly, the nerdiest thing that we have ever done, and we've been to the Nintendo Store in Japan, so that's a very high bar. Throughout this episode, we drop the following nerd-culture references: Pokemon (both Go and original), Civilization Revolution (yes, it's the American spelling), Pac-man, Minecraft, The Sims, Big Hero 6, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kingdom Hearts, Disney Heroes, She-Ra and The Princesses of Power (which everyone must watch), He-Man, Power Rangers and Lego (the video games as well as the toy). Phew! BTW, the show we're referring to is Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet on Apple+ - well worth a watch. We also talk about sharing our gaming love with our kids, why gaming is important for people with autism and studies show that television does not, in fact, make you dumber. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it reasonable to form a relationship based off only one feature of your identity, like your sexuality or if you have a sibling with a disability? We discuss the idea of social engineering our children's lives, the mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons groups and, most important, what makes a good friendship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to @aspergerssyndromeawareness on Facebook for a list of the positives of autism. We discuss the benefits of brutal honesty, creative problem solving and an attention to detail, focussing on how any personality trait, when channeled the right way, can be a positive for individuals with autism and the people around them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Language is a minefield and choosing the right words is as much about cultural knowledge as it is about intent. In this episode, we analyse the words "normal", "f****t" and "same-sex attracted", amongst many others, to determine whether inappropriate words are born that way or made that way. So you know, we've marked this episode as having explicit language, but we don't actually swear. We only drop that other f-word and we try to do it in the least offensive way possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another episode in the chronicles of Jake and Matt. This time, we talk about spending a month in India, the piles of red tape involved in bringing your own children home, and why doctors can make the worst parents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What started out as a conversation about what to expect of a child with autism broadens out into talking about being considerate to one another, stimming, Individual Learning Plans and anxiety management in general. We give some advice at the end too, but don't take us too seriously. We have opinions like everyone else has. Oh, and there's a weird gap of silence near the beginning of the episode - that's not you, it's us. Paul accidentally name drops one of his children and couldn't figure out how to smoothly replace it, so he just edited it out instead. Sorry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are things we automatically attribute to men and women, some innocuous, some more restrictive than it may seem on the surface. In a same-sex couple, you'd think those roles would be thrown out the window, but it's remarkable how often we fall back onto men's business and women's business. In this episode, we talk about Paul's experience with a working dad's group (and why Bunnings is considered a fatherhood milestone) and we name drop @annabelcrabb, @chat10looks3 and @toopeaspod to explore why we should rethink our gendered assumptions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does anyone else find that their favourite stories to tell about their children are where it all goes comically awry? If you don't, then this episode isn't for you. Let us teach you about being "atypical" and how it changes your perspective on the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fair warning: we will be talking about commercial surrogacy, so if that's a sensitive topic for you, we suggest you skip this episode. Otherwise, get to know us a little better by hearing about how why we wanted children in the first place and how we went about achieving our dream of having a family of our own. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.