local organizations

[Meghan4now]

Mods, before you up and move this thread to the Siberia of Places to Go, or Upcoming Events, hear me out.

I've read several threads from members asking about how to met others locally, or where to go that's safe, etc. One of the answers is often, join the local union hall. Actually, one of the reasons I joined this forum was to see if any of the local gals could give me insight on the local scene before I left home. Sad to say many locals here did not indicate that they participate.

As some may know, not all local orgs have the same character. Some are more social, political, narrow inclusion, wide inclusion, etc. One benefit of local organizations is that the can provide opportunities which may be important for those a little timid, but wanting to get out of the closet.

I would like to hear from others about their local groups, and what benefits they have gotten by joining.

I joined crossport.org. It's a diverse missioned group that serves CD/TG/TS. It has social events, support groups, outreach and resources. The dynamic changes over time, waxing and waning. The age range seems similar to this forum, but may also vary depending on the type of event. All in all I think it's a good organization, and I would encourage other locals to join in as they can.

What about your local?

P.S. I like this thread in this forum to benefit some of the lurkers, which may be helpful. Just don't be specific with places and times here as a security measure. Members can pm you, or you can post in the appropriate Siberia forum

[Krisi]

What do you mean by "join the local union hall" ?

[sometimes_miss]

What do you mean by "join the local union hall" ?

as soon as I read that, the old Boris and Natasha thingy crept into my mind: 'Transvestites, crossdressers and drag queens, local 12'.

[Veronica27]

You raise a good question, and yes I hope it stays in this forum. I often read about crossdressers who meet with their local friends for dinner, the theatre or just entertaining in their own homes. And then there are those who belong to local organizations where the emphasis is "social" rather than political or for counseling and emotional support. The problem is the "social" organizations are primarily in a handful of major cities like Los Angeles and New York. While I am understanding of the needs of transgenders, and am supportive of them, I have reached a stage in my 76 year old life where I would just like to be able to do a bit of socializing with other like minded crossdressers, without listening to all the deeper issues of transitioning, hormones, feminization and political action. While I enjoy a lot of the psychological pontificating that takes place here, I like to put that aside in order to enjoy my crossdressing when the spirit moves me. I yearn for the company of other crossdressers who enjoy discussing things like baseball, or model railroading or classical music while wearing their favourite dress, jewelry and heels.

I have been trying on the internet for years to locate such people or groups within a reasonable drive of my home, but all my efforts are for naught. I find the major support groups in the larger cities, but it is an all day trip to reach the closest ones, and those are very politically oriented. I have tried googling every possible term I can think of for what I am looking for in and around my own area, but all I find are youth oriented LGBT organizations at the various colleges and a lot of sexually explicit garbage. I have attended a number of CD events, and met a lot of wonderful people, but I have yet to find anyone who lives in my geographical region and shares any of my interests other than crossdressing itself. At my age, going to bars and other such venues has no appeal to me. While the internet is a fantastic source of information about issues such as crossdressing that was not available for most of my life, it is next to useless for locating people in this particular community because of the secretive nature of the pursuit, unless what you are looking for is a sexual hookup.

Perhaps some of the forum members could share their own "meet up" experiences, and offer some advice on how to find others who share similar interests as well as crossdressing. Google terms they have found useful, and the names of any organizations they are aware of that do not pop up on the usual searches for "CD" or "TG" would be helpful. Are there any organizations similar to the "Red Hat Ladies" that have local chapters for going out to dinner, the theatre, etc.?

Veronica

I wrote my response before seeing the thread on getting together with others. Hopefully some good information will be found on both threads.

[Laurana]

I haven't been able to find squat in my neck of the woods and I've been searching high and low. There's supposedly a group in Sioux Falls but when I click on the link for their website it brings up a site written in Chinese. It's depressing not being able to meet up with others for coffee(or stronger) and I've just about given up looking.

And like others I'm confused as to what you mean by join the local union hall.

[Tracii G]

Just south of you Meghan is Trans Ky which I am a member of and its pretty diverse.
MtF,FtM, preop and post op TS. A few young trans kids and their parents too which is really nice.
We have speakers come in like Gender therapists and other Dr's that deal with trans issues.
Make up artists that help you figure out what works best for you and a few make overs get done.
We even had a few police come in and talk about how they are trained to deal with trans people.
Its a great group and they have really helped me figure out who I am.
Made some great friends their too.

[AngelaYVR]

I really hope that other groups are much better than what I have access to. Around here, they are populated by the types that give CDs a bad name. Sometimes going solo is a good thing.

[TrishaTX]

In Ny , there were several groups, weather you were looking for admirers , make up or support.....the problem with most is the are short lived. The best has been Femme fever while I was there Karen does great work....here in Dallas there are few that I am sniffing out...hopefully I will find something eventually

[BillieAnneJean]

We have a very active Group here. We have two meetings a month. The IN meeting is for those who prefer to remain out of the public eye and it also works well for those needing to discuss the deeper issues. We also have an OUTing which i entirely social, we go OUT enfemme into the general public. There are also activities other times during the month that are non scheduled. And Halloween is a big time for us, this year a party at two clubs on the 30th and 31st. Then we have Drab to Fab in the spring.

Very active.
SUCH FUN!

If you don't have one , start one. But be forewarned it is a LOT OF WORK!!!!
Billie

[Sometimes Steffi]

I've posted several times recently about the meetup group I'm in.You can look back at some of my posts. But this year, our meetups are bringing together 40 to 50 girls, plus a few SOs, and a couple of GG supporters. While this is a social group, there are a lot of CDers plus some girls in various states of transition: full time, top surgery, FFS, middle path, etc. I don't know about all of them because I don't ask "plumbing" questions, but sometimes details are offered. We typically meet in a quiet public space, so we occasionally interact ith the curious muggles. What more can you ask for.

[Candice June Lee]

I to have found that the locally there isn't much here that I have found. Middle of the state has a group and may be worth the drive. I did find another venue of approach to finding locals. It paid off here in the mid south but still isn't what I really am looking for. However we do have a diverse group of girls and SO's. Very welcoming and fun. Not political. But usually it's nighttime going into the world and many that are members are closeted and don't come out. Maybe due to the "lack of true support" from the community. Though it's here and there are more of us here than I knew. This was witnessed at the mall last weekend while out with a member of this forum.

[Meghan4now]

as soon as I read that, the old Boris and Natasha thingy crept into my mind: 'Transvestites, crossdressers and drag queens, local 12'.

Ha. I love Borris and Natasha. I get moose, you get squirl.

To answer the question, the local union hall is a euphemism for local crossdressing or T-something groups. Maybe independent like Crossport, or affiliated like a chapter of TriEss. I am a little surprised that many members of this forum don't seem to be aware of these organizations. The point of my post is that they are out there and can be a good resource. Also it might be helpful to broadcast if you've had a good experience so others may be informed and encouraged. If part of the point of this forum is to provide support, this may be a way.

And as Billie points out, it might even be a good idea to get involved. You get out of it what you put into it. Want a better CD situation? Do something about it other than whine that life and society are so unfair!

[larry]

Thanks. I hope this stays and gets a lot of info input. I am in Seattle and have heard of "Emerald City " but it appears to just be a money organization from what I can find out.
BTW -Moderators--lets not be possessive. We should all learn as much about all the groups out there as we can (just saying)

[Sarah Doepner]

Here in the Salt Lake City area we have a few options. The local Pride center and University of Utah LGBT Support center offer programs and opportunities for Crossdressers to meet and find support. I am a member of a Tri-Ess group and we've been active for about 8 or 10 years now. We have a few of the folks who were helped organize the group and people move through on a regular basis. It seems you need a large enough population to maintain an active long term core for an independent group to last. People's needs and circumstances change over the years and with a small group there can be those times when it all falls apart. Having sponsorship seems to help make it through those times.

The other thing that seems to be having a negative impact on support groups is the growing willingness of younger Trans folk to just come out to their current group of friends and find acceptance and support there. No need for a group of strangers, most of whom are much older. There are also things like Facebook Meetups that may or may not be sketchy, gay bars that may encourage nights for CDs and maybe other options that you can come up with.

I was surprised when I went to DLV in Las Vegas and met local people that I never saw anywhere locally. The ladies who run the local wig shop have been great at letting our group know when someone has come in and seems to be looking for a support group. We've left business cards and handouts there to place in the hands of CD's or their supportive wives. I've been seeing a therapist and he has invited me to attend social group activities that I was unaware of, so there are resources, but many of them may not be obvious at first glance. So it could be necessary to do some work and even some travel to find the kind of social support you need.

[audreyinalbany]

Us upstate New Yorkers can also sympathize. Several years ago there was a group that met up in a bar over in Schenectady. They had a private room upstairs with a service bar and you could even order appetizers from the bar downstairs.Plenty or room in the bathrooms to change for those of us unable to dress at home. Unfortunately, the owner passed away, the place changed hands and the group seems to have pretty much disappeared. There aren't any local groups here at all that I'm aware of although the local pride center does sponsor some get togethers for those identifying as trans. The run-of-the-mill cross dresser is pretty much out of luck.

[Launa]

I really hope that other groups are much better than what I have access to. Around here, they are populated by the types that give CDs a bad name. Sometimes going solo is a good thing.

If you make it to Alberta then look me up. We'll show you Western Hospitality!

[flatlander_48]

I hang out with 2 groups:

The Rochester Grrlz is based in Rochester, NY. It is about 99 miles from my home. in Corning. They meet one Saturday evening a month at a neighborhood gay bar. There are crossdressers, transgender people and transsexuals in various places along the road to transitioning. The transsexuals are maybe a bit more than half of the group. We usually get about 15 people to as many as 22 or so. A few wives also drop in. This group is primarily a social group and I've been attending since last Christmas.

The Lords and Ladies of the Lakes is based in Geneva, NY and is about 50 miles from my home. They meet one Thursday and one Saturday a month at the local LGBT center. They also have the full range of folks, but perhaps 2/3 or more of the group are somewhere on the transition path. Attendance is perhaps 4 to 12, roughly. A few wives/SO's also drop in. This group is both a social group and a support group and I've been attending since last March.

DeeAnn

[ReineD]

Meghan, my SO's support group meets once monthly. It's several hours away so we don't go each time. They provide a changing room for newer members who don't dress in public yet. All are invited including SOs, kids, friends, etc, although there are only a handful of SOs who attend. There are a few transitioned TSs, and the rest have a variety of labels, down to having occasional newbie CDers. The evening consists of dinner with a featured activity that could be a speaker, a clothes swap, etc, and lots of time to talk and socialize. It's a wonderful group and everyone gets along. The group has been meeting monthly for decades and there can be anywhere from 20-30 members who attend each meeting. They sometimes organize outings. They have a website and a facebook page but the volunteers in charge have families and jobs and so enquiries may not be answered straight away.

I haven't been able to find squat in my neck of the woods and I've been searching high and low. There's supposedly a group in Sioux Falls but when I click on the link for their website it brings up a site written in Chinese.

Sioux Falls has The Center for Equality, 220 South Philips Ave, Sioux Falls. Tel: (605) 610-9206. They say their office hours are irregular so it's best to call ahead if you want to drop in. Their purpose is to help you find friends, support and entertainment. They welcome everyone.

Here's the Google Street View of their office:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/22...f6a356!6m1!1e1

And here's their website's upcoming events page. The Girl's Night Musical on November 4th and the T Benefit on November 13th, both in Sioux Falls, look promising:

http://thecenterforequality.org/calendar/

And their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/centerforeq...=page_internal

[Laurana]

Thanks for the info ReineD

[Ally 2112]

The closest one to me is about 4 hours away