I don't always tell others about my AS diagnosis, whether I know them well, or not. Sometimes I do, but with quiet trepidation as I await the response. I will not lie. The response determines how likely I might be in future to disclose my diagnosis. I always blurt it out quickly, through the sound of my pulse rushing in my ears making me almost anxiously deaf to the world for that moment I await the response from the other party. I lean in, hoping for some sign of acceptance... I almost always get one of two responses.
The most common- "I would never
