In this episode of Autistic Advocacy, Matt and Angela sit down with Jessica Brothers—a true jack-of-all-trades. She’s a metalhead, a former volunteer firefighter, an ex-ABA practitioner, and, oh yeah… an autistic vampire!

🎧 What You’ll Learn

• Jessica shares her journey as a vampire within one of New Orleans’ elusive houses, along with her unexpected stint as an ABA practitioner—a path that ultimately led her to recognize her own autism.
• The trio sinks their teeth into the nonlinear hierarchy of New Orleans’ vampire houses, uncovering eerie parallels between vampires and autistic individuals (a theme hinted at in our earlier episode, Vampires Are Autistic).
• Jessica dives into how music serves as regulation, why tattoos are inherently autistic, the role of guardian to the ruthless Aurantian arachnid, and so much more in this fang-tastic new episode!

Featured Guest: Jessica Brothers

Jessica Brothers is a neurodivergent creative, metalhead, and proud autistic vampire based in New Orleans. A former volunteer firefighter and one-time ABA practitioner, Jessica’s winding path of self-discovery led her to embrace both her autism and her vampiric identity. She is a member of one of New Orleans’ storied vampire houses, where she has found community and ritual that resonate deeply with the autistic experience. Beyond the shadows, Jessica is passionate about music as a tool for regulation, tattoos as a form of autistic expression, and exploring the intersections of identity, spirituality, and neurodivergence.

Resources:

Wikipedia entry for Argiope aurantia: A species of Spider

Related Episodes:

Vampires Are Autistic

Fairy Tales Are Autistic

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