Where do the "Twains" meet meet for you?

[ophelia]

Was it Mark Twain who joked that he "wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have him as a member"?
I am perfectly happy e-interacting here totally anonymously.
But publicly I avoid other CD's.
And although there is a club here in Ottawa called Gender Mosaic I prefer Mr.Twain's tack.
I might visit another club in a different city.
What say ye?

[DeeArel]

I personally love to meet others as often as possible. Unfortunately, my travel schedule precludes attending any groups on a regular basis.

[Sallee]

I would agree meeting others in the same clothing no matter where they are is fun. Its like hanging out with your tribe

[Annaliese]

It is a matter of comfort zone, and we need to get out of our comfort zone to learn and grow, that is what I tell my students it true for them and it true for us here.

[Kate Simmons]

Everyone is an individual so you never know how someone new you meet is going to be, CDing notwithstanding. I'm always open to chat but my purpose at the club is usually to have fun dancing en femme, nothing more or less.:battingeyelashes::)

[Jaymees22]

I did try a support group but didn't enjoy it, so for now I think I will stick with the e-interacting too. Hugs Jaymee

[Wildaboutheels]

The DATA that this site makes available to members - all the numbers that it scatters in various places - indicates yours is the majority view.

Not that it really matters any. The numbers also indicate that most folks are perfectly content in their closets.

As they are "just clothes" to me, I don't need to hang out/shop with other CDers.

But... I have offered/will continue to offer help to Forum members "local" to me to escape their closets and/or take some "decent" pics of them.

[ColleenA]

I mainly stay online. One time I tried go to a "club" for crossdressers in San Jose, but it was not for me. I learned I am not interested in interacting directly with other CDs. And I'm fine with that.

But to answer your first question - no, that line was not by Mark Twain. It was Groucho Marx who said it.

[Katey888]

Ditto the Groucho reference.. :)

Don't knock anything until you've tried it, I say... (within reason..;))

From what I've seen of the sociable ladies here, it could be: fun/ laughable/ fabulous/ tedious/ philosophical/ scary/ drunken/ erotic :eek: or any combination thereof...
(delete as applicable and depending on who you're thinking of.. :devil:)

"Can't stop the spirits when they need you
This life is more than just a read-through.." :)

Katey x

[Tiffany Jane]

The anonimity of a female name hiding the masculine form is safe while online. Having had preconceived notions of cders in the past is mainly why I find myself here. Looking for some normalcy in what I find I could be doing odd. I am in my personal energy element doing the things I enjoy alone. Hunt, fish, hike, meditate, be Tiffany. I find a lot of valuable information and supportive people here and have come to accept myself as well as all other people in a new light.
Knowing there are a group of men and women who can share their thoughts and feelings is encouraging enough for me to know what I am doing is a part of me to embrace and to not cast away.

[jeank]

Ophelia,

I would actually echo your thoughts (other than not wanting to belong to a club that would have me as a member - I can't really think of any other type I would want to be a member of...)

I haven't yet ventured out, but my problem with going to a local club would be being recognised by other people in the locality. And although I live in a big city it's a small world - the number of times I say "fancy seeing you here".

So yes, if I were to venture out it would have to be a bit further away - and I would find going out easier if I were meeting other CDers - if only as the main point of going out to a venue is to interact, and I am pretty sure I would find it hard to relax in a venue if I was on my own.

[Mellisastocking996]

It would be nice to meet others, however when I'm in man clothes I get the urge to compliment a CD when I see one in town but always seem to loose the confidence to do so.

[Paula_Femme]

I have to agree with Ophelia, I personally have no desire to hang-out exclusively with my fellow CD'ers, but CD's and their GG wives/girlfriends, that's a much more interesting dynamic to my way of thinking! :battingeyelashes:

[kimdl93]

I thought for sure this was going to be contrasting images of Mark and Shania Twain!

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Ophelia, With just a click of the mouse I have thousands of friends all over the world on this wonderful forum.:daydreaming:

[Charla McBee]

I was always a little afraid of other CDers in my early days even after I started hanging around here. Of course I realize now that I'm more on the trans end of the spectrum so that could have been it. Same family but not quite the same species so to speak. I've also never been comfortable with the idea of going out without first being out. At this point I think finding some of my own kind could be a big help as far as self-acceptance. Thus far I have yet to knowingly meet anyone from any point along the spectrum.

I think a lot of the discomfort comes from seeing ourselves as outsiders even when we discover communities like this one. If you are yourself an outsider so is everyone else with the same situation. That makes them as scary as they are comforting. We carry society's prejudices with us even as we fight against them and it takes time to grow out of that.

[erickka]

Where I live, it's just good ol' boy rednecks, so I'm pretty much relegated to interacting with all the great people here. When I go out, I have to head into Nashville (over an hour away) where the "big city" lifestyle comes into play.

[mariehart]

I'd like to meet up with others if for no other reason than the opportunity to be myself for a time. Let the mask slip for a time. Unfortunately I'm not aware of any group locally. I wish there was but I think this city is too small for that. If there's one regret I have is that I didn't make a bigger effort to meet others like me. Online is fine as far as it goes but there's nothing like sitting down with someone who not only accepts what you are but embraces and understands it.

[Melanie B]

Until a few weeks ago, I would never have thought about trying to meet other CD/TG/TSs. It took all my courage to admit to myself that I was one!
But then I thought I really ought to "confess" to my SO. And before I could do that, I needed to understand what was going on inside my head, and where I fitted into the TG spectrum.
I was amazed to find a support group meeting in a small town (pop 25,000) less than an hour's drive from home.
Walking in, I thought I'd stumbled into the wrong place: the room was full of (mostly) middle-aged ladies chatting to each other over cups of tea!
It wasn't "exciting", but it was lovely to be accepted as Mel. And one wonderful lady in particular has helped me to at least start getting my head round who I am.

[Beverley Sims]

Ophelia,
You do have to take those baby steps and it is good to be apprehensive about meeting others.
Times and situations may change and you may find it pleasant to meet others.

[Sometimes Steffi]

I'm not "out", but I'm not in either. I have met dozens of CDs and TSs out in safe settings.

And I have to say it's wonderful. It's one thing to read about someone having a great shopping experience, but it's much greater to talk to someone who had a great shopping experience. It's just a little more real.

And greatest of all is to have a great shopping experience yourself, in the company of other CDs.

[Tonya Rose]

wouldnt you love to hear those compliments that you are thinking of? i know i long for them!!!

[CynthiaD]

I've never met another CD in person, at least knowingly. When I want to interact with people like myself, I go to a fabric store or some other establishment that caters mostly to women.

[suchacutie]

I guess I'm just stuck in my ways, but my wife is the person I choose to be with, regardless of the gender I'm presenting :)

[samantha rogers]

I was closeted for many years and in deep denial about my own identity. Now I love nothing better than being out, and doing so in the company of friends who "get it" makes it so much better. Yes, I would so prefer to enjoy my time out in the company of my wife, but despite her growing understanding and best efforts she is still not there yet. I hope she will be one day, but that is for her to decide. In the meantime, she understands I need this. And other TG people I venture out with have become my best and closest friends in a way that other friends, knowing only part of me could never be. From where I sit, how close can a friend be if this big a part of my life and identity is unknown and not understood by them? I still spend too much time behind a mask, and around people who only know a part of me. For myself, I treasure the TG friends with whom I go out. They know the real me.:battingeyelashes:

[mechamoose]

I was told a story once about a horse.

This poor horse kept having his mane full of local birds plucking away at his strands for nest building materials, which left him agitated, covered in sores and bald spots. His caretaker was sad and concerned.

So he called his large animal vet, who said he would be right by.

When he showed up, he had a woman with him who ran the bakery in town.. The caretaker was a bit confused, but he trusted the vet and let them into the stable.

He watched in odd fascination as the vet coached the baker in applying bread dough in the horses mane.

Over the next few hours, the dough rose, and started to dry out... but oddly, the birds left him alone. The sores started t heal, and the horse was MUCH happier.

The next day, he called the vat and said "I'm not sure why whatever you did worked, but it did! Thank you!"

The vet responded "Quite simply, Sir.. yeast is yeast and nest is nest, and never the mane shall tweet!"

}:P

- MM