Do you join groups?

[celeste26]

How many of us go out of our way to join women's groups prior to transition? Just being a "woman among women" is a valuable experience. Something that I only started recently. Somehow being trans among a trans group is just not the same.

[PretzelGirl]

I haven't joined groups, but have been involved in a Multi-level Marketing business. Before I was one of the few "guys" among many ladies. Once I transitioned, the ladies took me right in to their discussions and fully included me. A fantastic group of ladies. So for me, I admit to apprehensions about the boundaries of discussions. Being taken in has helped to ease my nerves on it and just relaxing and being myself was the obvious answer. Even outside of that, I really, and primarily, enjoy their company.

[Rogina B]

"Street time" combined with acceptance and inclusion makes for very positive reinforcement!

[DebbieL]

I've been going to women's AA and NA meetings since I first got clean and sober. I have found that I have so much in common with women, it was wonderful to be able to talk about feelings other than anger, feelings of shame, guilt, remorse, anxiety, and fear - and learning to deal with the memories that caused these intense negative feelings,

I was also able to deal with some domestic abuse issues as well. There are some things I really don't want to talk about with men, because I don't want them playing "can you top this" or trying to "fix it". Sometimes, I just need to listen to others going through similar feelings, and sometimes I need to share my own feelings so that I can face them and address them.

When I went to college, I went to a women's college. There were 900 women and 25 males, half were gay, most of the others had girl-friends (faculty or fellow students) or worked on stage crew. The thing I liked most was being "one of the girls". I was attracted to a few of the girls, and my sophomore year, had a lover - I was her lesbian lover.

At high school and college reunions, women I went to school with, some of whom knew me from as early as second grade, Most of them said they remembered me as "One of the girls". I was one of the few guys who could go to the girls dorm any time of the day or night unchallenged, because the girls were all friends of mine. I was made an honorary member of a sorority (Mu Phi Epsilon) but since I was out the semester it went co-ed I was black-balled when I was proposed in my senior year - buy the guy who was the first actual member of the now coed sorority.