Justice Sensitivity

Many autistic people have an extremely heightened sense of fairness—so strong it can cause physical discomfort when witnessing injustice.

"I've almost lost jobs over calling out unfair treatment of coworkers. I literally cannot stay silent." — Autistic adult

What It Feels Like

This goes beyond "caring about fairness":

• Physical discomfort when witnessing unfair treatment
• Inability to "let things go" when something is unjust
• Ruminating on injustices for hours or days
• Feeling compelled to act even when it's risky

"Just ignore it" is not an option. For neurotypicals, witnessing unfairness might be annoying. For many autistic people, it's viscerally intolerable.

The Double-Edged Sword

The strength: Advocating for others, spotting unfair systems others accept, deep integrity, being someone people trust to do the right thing.

The challenge: Conflicts at work, being labeled "difficult," exhaustion from constantly noticing injustice.

"I see the unfair treatment of my coworker. Everyone else pretends it's fine. I cannot pretend it's fine. Now I'm the problem." — Autistic employee

Navigating Justice Sensitivity

Choose your battles: You can't fight every injustice—you'll burn out. Prioritize where your intervention matters most.

Protect yourself: Know when speaking up will cost more than it gains. Find allies. Build evidence before raising issues.

Process the feelings: Journal about injustices you can't address. Find communities that validate your sensitivity.

When You Can't Let It Go

What helps: Writing it out, talking to someone who validates the unfairness, taking even small action, accepting that fixing everything isn't your responsibility.

What doesn't help: Being told to "let it go," pretending you don't care, beating yourself up for caring "too much."

Justice sensitivity is rooted in genuine moral clarity. The problem isn't that you care too much—it's that the world often doesn't care enough.