We all joined for a reason..what you were looking for..did you find it.... GGs also..

[PretzelGirl]

I was on the slow, exploratory route after years of stuffing it internally. It was a slow advancement with my wife at my side and somehow we figured out boundaries on our own. I googled the site up because I wanted to learn more. Little did I know that would lead to a person who took me to my first group; a person who talked me into going to Diva Las Vegas, which was eye opening to say the least; the person who showed me that you could go out and be beyond comfortable with yourself and people would be cool about it; and a section of the world that would love, guide, and support me through my growth and a wonderful transition.

Now it is amazing how much my life is affected by that first step. I am living authentically. A large number of my friends are from the community. I have friends across the country that I communicate with and some I have been fortunate to meet between either of us traveling. This week I started on the Board of Directors for the Utah Pride Center. My wife is openly supportive of the community and is openly identifying as pansexual after thinking about why my transition was easy for her. Quite the stark difference from just over 6 years ago.

[chris63]

I joined recently looking for community and understanding. It was so freeing to see others with the same feelings as me. It made me feel like I wasn't alone.

[Bridget Ann Gilbert]

I came across the site while looking for make up tips. I had been out of this world for many years, but was strongly considering coming back and wanted to be able to do it right. What I have found here has proven to be so much more. This is a community of thoughtful, caring individuals who are all united by the desire to help one another. The range of experiences available here has really opened my eyes to the full range of gender identities, allowing me better insight into myself. In the short time I've been here I've already made good friends and hope to make even more. Although it can be easy to get down on the internet for all of the trivial and nonsensical garbage it gets used for, this forum represents the best use of the free exchange of information offered by the technology. It has become a great home for this cyber girl.

Bridget

[PaulaQ]

I came here looking for chicks. Nobody warned me that the one I'd find would be me...

[donnalee]

I guess I have to put in my $ 0.02 as well. 9 years ago, at age 60, I finally realized what was going on and started to search for some information and, hopefully, some answers to a lot of questions. My SO found out at the same time I did, but her only real concern was for my physical safety, so, as I had no real desire to go out then, it satisfied her concerns.
I spent 2 years stumbling over a bunch of porn and sexual hookup sites, none of which I was looking for. I, at least, had the sense to give out the email addresses which I use for doubtful sites that request it. They kept sending me their email for years; finally that ceased.
When I arrived here, I was amazed by the broad spectrum of people here, not only the trans part, but the people part as well; all parts of the world, all professions, a lot of different ways of coping with their situation, single, DADT couples, accepting (and participating sometimes as well) couples, all kinds of religious (or atheist/agnostic) beliefs. The variety was staggering. The other and not so great thing was those engaged in (to put it kindly) "creative writing" and I learned to take everything here with the proverbial "grain of salt".
Meanwhile, I started experimenting with different things; makeup (turned out that age and health problems had shaken a once firm hand and blurred eyesight), finally realizing that the best look I could achieve was pretty garish, so finally abandoning it recently as a bad job that would only get worse as time went on; hair removal (here I lucked out, as I have never had much body hair (less than many women) and what there was was very fine and is mostly white by now; clothing (here again I had some luck; I had always had an eye for women's clothes; one of the things that attracted me to my SO was how well she dressed and I was always able to buy clothes she liked for her); I had finally decided that I wanted to go out to gauge people's reactions and see if I could fit in; I was amazed in general by how ho-hum they were; guy in women's clothes - no biggie! Although I heard a few sotto-voice snide comments, the only thing that concerned me was the possibility of physical danger and had taken precautions against that; I felt no threat of that type, and did not care about people's comments. As I have neither the time nor money for beard treatment, settled for a close shave, but definitely a guy in a dress.
None of this would have happened without the insights gleaned from here.

[SonjaThompson]

I am or have been a member of some other websites, mainly UK based ones, and most seem to be centred around sex. After having a look at this forum a few times, and liking what I saw, I thought it would be good to join and talk to others around the globe. I know there are a wide range of people and interests, which is partly why I wanted to join.

Also, people generally don't seem to be sex mad on here (I hate it when I get pestered by guys on FB etc).

[Raychel]

When I joined this site 10 years ago at 46 years old,
I really didn't know who I was, where I was going in life or what I wanted from life.
I was a member of a few other forums, but they all had their own issues. either topic related.
or issues with the other members,

I eventually stopped going to the other sites and started calling this site home.
with the help of this forum, I have grown to accept that his is who I am, now comfortable with myself.
something that I had issues with for 46 years,

I have made lots of great friends here and have met some of them in person, they will be life long friends

So I came here to figure out just who I was and to get my brain and thoughts in order.

Not only did I get that, but I got the added bonus of some great friends.

[mykell]

just to share ive gained more and done more by being here than i ever thought i wanted too.....

recently just dressed outside my home for the first time, something i never thought i could ever muster the nerve to do, was scared about how comfortable i felt afterwards....a new chapter for me....all from learning about myself and the community here....thanks all....

[LexiMay]

I joined as I knew somewhere that I can be open and honest would be a stepping stone and already after a couple of weeks of reading posts from others I feel more comfortable, have even told a friend about me!

Lexi 💜

[Alex!]

I joined way back in 2007. I actually forgot when I joined (I just rejoined, and I'm impressed I'm still in the system!). Back then, I needed to reach out and purge myself of shame. This site and getting out of the closet to meet with people made all the difference. Now, I seek like-minded people for conversations about crossdressing and related issues. Some of my friends went over to Facebook, but I can't do that without paranoia.

[lexivanderpump]

I joined to find support and like-minded people. I found it here on CD.com. I havent been here in months though because the "topics" were too repetitive for me. There are lots of wonderful gurls in here though!

Love,
Lexi V.

[TeriJean72]

I came here looking for information, and to get other people's opinions on things. I spent a lot of time over the year or so, look, lurking, and just reading what I could, before I decided to actually register.

[ErikaS]

I joined because i wanted information and to try to get some clearing of my mind and maybe some advice. I have been pushing it back and hiding for a bit. Its good to finally start some therapy and talking to my family.

Erika