tri-ess

[erica12b]

hi girls need some advice is tri-ess a good group to join, It will take me 5 hour to get to denver and make the meetings, but its the only support group in my area. what do all of you think

[Darlene Rochelle]

I have never joined only because of my sexuality.Tri-Ess is for hetero crossdressers and there spouses. It may work for you. Hugs, Darlene

[Gilded Graper]

JOIN!
Make friends with others similar to yourself and socialize with them.

Isolation is bad, especially when your mind runs away on an unpleasant track of thought.

Happy Christmas wishes to you.

[BeckyAnderson]

Triess was the turning point in my crossdressing life. I would highly recommend joining.

Hugs,
Becky

[erica12b]

becky what are the dues like?

[Clarissa3d]

I am joining Sigma Epsilon here in Atlanta,

The dues are very small and they have some great parties.
http://www.sigmaepsilonatlanta.org/

Here is a list by state
http://www.rachelmiller.info/linkso1.htm

Give them a call and just go to the newbies meeting you will enjoy.
:)

[CharleneCD]

Erica Tri-Ess is definitely worth looking into. I know from experience that some groups are better than others, so you will have to try out your local one to see how it is. Basicly you have nothing to lose though. Most groups will allow you to attend two or three meetings free to see if you fit in. Here in Michigan it has only taken me one meeting to tell that I have foung a great group of people to be with.

[Phoebe Reece]

I have been a member of Tri-Ess since it came into being in the late 70's (off and on - I dropped membership for a long period when working overseas). It is an excellent support organization.

Annual membership dues for Tri-Ess International are $ 42. Each local chapter has their own policy on local dues. The national organization has a policy that to join a local chapter, you are also supposed to join the national organization. You can join national without joining a chapter though.

Every chapter operates a little differently and has a different range of activities and meetings. I recommend you go to a meeting or two with the girls in Denver and see what you think. I have heard good things about them.

Even if you can't make meetings every month, you still may find it beneficial to be a member of a local chapter. Our chapter in Atlanta (Sigma Epsilon) has members scattered all over the south (and a few as far away as Los Vegas). Some make only one or two meetings a year - and there are even a few I have still not met that have been members for years. Some members are happy enough to just get our monthly newsletter and know that we are there in case they need help or advice.

[Marla GG]

Hi Erica,

Angel and I just joined our local Tri-Ess chapter after attending a couple of meetings as guests and getting a feel for the group. In our case, there are several TG groups within 100 miles of us so we were able to "shop around" a bit. I agree with those who said that attending one or two meetings is the only way to know for sure what your particular chapter is like.

At the second meeting I attended as a guest, I had a long chat with the chapter president and told her that I had reservations about joining because I didn't agree with the longstanding Tri-Ess policy of excluding gay/bisexual CDs and transsexuals. She listened patiently until I finished and got down from my soapbox, and then she explained to me that she understood my concerns and said that really, all she asks is that members not discuss certain subjects, like transitioning and sexual encounters with men, at the socials because it makes the wives uncomfortable. Well, I can't deny that those subjects DO make a lot of women nervous and most would probably rather not attend events where there is a lot of talk about SRS and dating guys. So despite my "issues" we decided that we would join for a year and see how it works out.

Tri-Ess membership requires paying national dues as well as chapter dues, which I think vary. Ours were $72/individual or $92/couple per year.

[GypsyKaren]

I do recmmend that you join, it's helpful to be around fellow trannies, and you'll make a lot of friends. I miss a lot because of my work schedule, fortuneately there are other groups in my area that I can get to, but I do have a "big sister" from tri-ess. We haven't met yet, soo I hope, but we talk a lot by e-mail and have gotten to be good friends. I think you should at least check them out.

GypsyKaren

[erica12b]

this is really good info thanks ,


if tri-ess is so big and in every state why are there not more girls here?

[HaleyPink2000]

I Go to TriEss meetings as much as I can. I have withdrawls when I can't make a meeting. Like this month I'm on a Doctors care and should not travel. It's two Hours one way for me to go there.

Do it. Go to the meetings first for several months Hun. Never join anything till you see if it fits your needs.

But, TriEss does fit the needs of my Wife and I. She is starting to be more excepting of me since I did join. She was the one that said to go see a Doctor or join a group last May, so I did. Then She was mad I was going. I did not understand that for a long time. This Halloween She did go with me. She found out that these are just people like Her and I. So now I dress at home as I want and no big battles any more. There are still issues between her and my dressing but it's better because of the TriEss Chapter here in Central Illinois.

Haley:)

[StephanieCD]

This thread has inspired me to look into tri-ess again... I used to live near a meeting and chickened out after I got the info - I spoke to the, I don't know the term, chairperson? of the group and she was apparently kind of activist-ish... I guess she was the first cd to dress at work at a very big company and kind of made waves! I was impressed but... I got nervous. Maybe I'll look into it again :)

[Phoebe Reece]

if tri-ess is so big and in every state why are there not more girls here?

Erica,

There are more Tri-Ess members on this forum than you may think. Not everyone talks about it that much. While there may be some Tri-Ess members in many (if not most) states, there are not chapters in every state. To create a chapter takes a number of Tri-Ess members existing in one area that are willing to be leaders and go through all the steps of creating a functioning local organization. It takes a lot of work and dedication to do that. There are financial considerations, security issues, newsletters to publish, meeting formats and locations to deal with, By-Laws to agree to, and dependable leaders to elect to run it all. The Tri-Ess national office will provide guidance and advice on how to do it, but it is ultimately up to the local gals to do the work and get something going. Some chapters have been formed by members from one chapter splitting off to form their own chapter closer to where some of them live. Also, unfortunately, some Tri-Ess chapters have been created over the years that have fallen apart due to poor leadership or in-fighting between different members or other issues. While each chapter is required to follow the guidlines published by the national organization, there are many differences between the way the different chapters operate. If you really are interested in learnng more about Tri-Ess, go to: http://www.tri-ess.org/

[erica12b]

i am going to try and make the logitics of the trip work for me , if any of you know where grand junction co is you'll under stand just what and over what passes ill need to go and jan and feb are going to be fun to drive in,, thanks all

[Rene]

Erica, I have met the ladies of the denver chapter. they are all so warm and welcoming. You will have a great time. Like others have said here, Joining Tri-Ess was a real cornerstone in my dressing and going out. Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

[Kayla Smith]

Thank you Rene for the kind words:)

I joined the Denver Tri-Ess chapter in September and went to my first meeting in October before that I had never been out of the house "Dressed". Upon arrival at the resturant where the October meeting was being held at, I met one of my new sisters in the parking lot and she escorted my wife and I into the resturant so that I would feel more comfortable in my surroundings as well as make my wife feel more comfortable too. It is now December and I just went to my third meeting and I could not have imagined that I would have ever found more kind, caring and nonjudgetmental group in my life.

Like so many of my sisters that have replied to this post have said Tri-Ess has been a major turning point in my life and my relationship. I do also have to say that I too start to get withdrawal in between meetings because it is so much fun. We do have members that do not come to every meeting, they come to the meeting when they can.

[Lauren Mitchell]

Tri-Ess is a great organization to join. It offers all kinds of peer-support.

You said that you live 5 hours away? That should not stop you, just slow you up a bit. You should try and take a trip to a meeting once in a while and meet some of your other sisters. You will find that there might be someone near you that you can meet with away from the meetings.

Who knows, you might attend a conference one day. I hope to do so myself.

You can join Tri-Ess on the web on the Tri-Ess website. From there, you can find other people that share your common interest.

Here is a thought, if you know some other people in your general area that also feel that a five hour drive is a bit much, why not get together and start a forming chapter? I am working on that myself right now.

Tri-Ess, in a word, yes!

Love
Lauren

[HaleyPink2000]

You don't have to come to the meeting dressed en femme.

Come how you wish.

Haley:)

[BeckyAnderson]

becky what are the dues like?

I belong to a local chapter and the dues there are $20 a month.

[JulieFL]

I'm thinking about joining a local chapter.

JulieFL

[MandyTS]

I can not be a part of Tri-Ess so I am not joining, lots of local groups though!