Thought Piece

This is a kind of long essay from my friend Sharon.  It's well-written and worth reading.  She asks some interesting questions which I think will encourage different responses, depending on where you are in the t-spectrum.  It's on a subject close to Sharon, and I think instrumental to who she is ~ fitting to insert into the middle of my "who I am" series.

Transgender Support Groups: A History

By Sharon Rose

Once upon a time, there was a support group in the suburbs outside our nation’s capitol.  It   The group met in hotel rooms at first, and later moved to a church.  It advertised in a newspaper.  But it had rules to protect the identities of its members, and so it carefully screened new members with an interview before revealing the secret meeting location.  It was the early 1980s, and many of the members worked at the Pentagon, in the defense industry, or in various branches of the U.S. Government.  The meeting place was a safe place for those who were just beginning to discover their transgender identity and also for those who did not want to go to more public spaces.

The author, Sharon Rose

was a place for transgender people to socialize in private, to learn about themselves and others, and to discover that they were not alone.

            For over 30 years it continued to function. It held monthly meetings.  It put out a newsletter.  The group brought in guest speakers to help with various aspects of maintaining an alternate gender presentation (clothing, wigs, makeup, nail care, etc.), or members presented programs of their own. Each December they had a holiday gala at a local hotel with dinner and live entertainment. And a few members performed outreach, speaking with students at local universities or with religious institutions about what it means to be transgender. A small cadre of members performed key tasks and served on the board of directors.

            Members of the group traveled far and wide to attend meetings. Close friendships were formed.  But times began to change.  The growth of the Internet and the rise of social media meant that much information was now readily available by computer.  And Trans people could make connections online, and knew there were others out there like them.  And society was changing too.  The rising social acceptance of gays and lesbians gave transgender people hope that they too could be accepted.  More and more transgender people were going out in public.  Those who were comfortable doing so no longer needed to meet in private.  The group shrank in size as members left the group to join other groups or go out in public on their own.

            Other groups have been formed on Meetup.com and other social networking sites, and Trans people are connected on Facebook and other platforms as never before. They hold events in bars and restaurants, and those who are comfortable go anywhere they want to.  The possibilities to socialize are limitless.

           

            The questions I have are twofold. First, are traditional support groups a thing of the past?  Do Trans people need a structured organization with a one-size-fits all approach to provide information and provide a safe space for those starting on their Trans journey?  Or can they find most of the information they need online, and simply contact one of the newer social groups when they are ready to go out in public?  I suspect there may be some people who need help getting from point A to point B.  What are your thoughts?

            Second, what about providing outreach?  There is still much that Trans people can do to educate the general public. Do we still need it, and how can we do it?

            Like any small group, a Trans organization can only prosper if a core group of people are willing to work to get things done, and if others come forward to replace them when they leave or need a break.  But I believe that those of us who have come before need to pay it forward and help those who are just beginning to explore their trans identity.

            Ultimately, the organization is just a framework.  We can all connect on an individual level to help someone else, no matter how the group is organized.

            Dear readers, I want to thank Meg once again for allowing me to write a guest post on her blog.  I invite you to share your experiences with support groups in the comments section below.