Your views on this forum as a much needed outlet?

[Sapphire]

My lifestyle is unquestionably masculine. I do not venture out cross-dressed, go toTG friendly clubs or under-dress. In most respects I compartmentalise my transgendered self with the exception of having worked up the courage to buy women’s clothes, makeup and accessories without it seeming such a big deal. Also I’ve put my transgendered self on line in a manner that most of my friends, if they knew about it, would consider ill advised and only a little short of madness. As a risk-averse person I thoroughly agree with them – and yet I feel compelled to be truthful about myself and this forum seems as good a place as any for that purpose. Keeping the truth about yourself all bottled up until you die simply does not seem right. The question I would like to ask is to what extent you found joining this on-line community to be a much needed outlet. As for myself it has proved to be quietly and progressively liberating.

[Bilinda]

I like all the different questions and so on I find here. Also I have found many good items, tips and tricks that others have shared on here.

However I don't post too much here, because the guidelines are a bit narrow. I feel like I'm in Sunday school on here. There are dozens of other forums where I can have more freedom to express myself.

However the owners have the right to run their forum in any way they see fit, just as I do mine. So for the most part I passively read the threads and don't interact. I'm sure this is a great place for most.
:)

[Kate Simmons]

It has been a mutually fulfilling experience for myself Sapphire.:)

[Kathleen Ann Trees]

For me, I love the forum as it is. I've been scolded a few times but, upon reflection, properly.

I appreciate the dignity and polite tone of the forum. I appreciate all of the support and good ideas. I love the GG input.

The one thing I would like is more dialog with people who aren't as supportive. How the SO's cope. Discussion on why it's okay versus not okay. I have that dialog in my own head at times and would appreciate understanding it from more perspectives.

Kathleen

[jaleecd]

]First time on forum. Its a great place to compare feelings and fears. Its a revelation to find that others share this blessing or insanity, and that this late stage in my life it ain't all hormones(or lack thereof):)[
Thank you all for your candor and loving acceptance.

[deja true]

More important than being an outlet for our selves, our stories, our questions...

...the forum is an inlet for all the stories and ideas and answers that we want and need.

The connections we make here, whether we're taking it all in or sharing what we know, are the blessings that have made our lives better...

:)

[Edyta_C]

I think this forum and one other are the best. I like the polite dialog. This forum has helped me grow considerably and accepting what I am and where I am in life. This and one other forum I would credit with relieving much on depression. The depression was suppressed thru drugs and now I am nearly free of the depression meds. It is all due to the acceptance and understanding I have found. Not just others accepting me, but learning to accept me for me. Perhaps it is too much credit, but I really feel now that most of the girls on here are my sisters.

Hugs Edy

[Ressie]

Sappire, this is a very good post to me because I'm very much like you. Your right about not keeping this bottled up inside. I've admitted my crossdressing only to girlfriends throughout the years. I wouldn't tell a male friend because they would probably think I was gay and hitting on them.

So yes, for us closeted CDs this is a great place to tell someone and relieve the pressure of keeping this secret.

[Carole Cross]

Since joining I have been able to let my feelings known to people who can understand how I feel. It has also allowed me to come to terms with who I am and to make a decision based on that. I don't think I would have decided ti transition or go out en femme without this forum. I woulds still be struggling to live as a man who has never been really happy with life. I now
feel much more relaxed about myself and where I am going.

[rickie121x]

....The question I would like to ask is to what extent you found joining this on-line community to be a much needed outlet. As for myself it has proved to be quietly and progressively liberating. At various times I find reading and perusing "our" messages to be just what I need, fulfilling, broadening, and enlightening. And there are those days when I eagerly search for interesting items to which I reply or add information - obviously needing some sort of outlet for this huge part of my life which I cannot share with most of the people I know.

Yes indeed, my "prolific reply" days were a surprise to me, as I really didn't think that I needed an outlet.

Rickie :daydreaming:

[Cissy Chiana]

I just like chatting to people who have something in common with me :) Plus it gives me a chance to let my femme self out and show you pictures of her so you can all point at me and laugh ;) I may have a sense of humour too, it needs investigating...

[Karren H]

I just have a big mouth.... and love to talk about crossdressing and makeup and fashion and ...... just about anything....

[Lora Olivia]

As has been said. This forum is an outlet as well as inlet. For the most part I have found it to be a kind and rewarding place.

[Ballerina]

I find this community to nothing short of wonderful. I love the connections made here, and knowing that I have the freedom to share my own hopes and fears with little prejudice. You never really find this kind of jewel; especially on the internet.

[PamelaTX]

This site does indeed provide an outlet for me, especially when I can't dress. But then after a while I think to myself, "It's time to stop talking about it and start doing it!" At the moment, I'm doing both. Ahhhhhh ...

[docrobbysherry]

Inlet, outlet, what ever! Just let me out of the closet!:eek:

After nearly 9 solitary years there, this site is a Godsend!:)

U can tell things to STRANGERS that could NEVER TELL to a friend!:doh:

And yet, I feel I DO HAVE friends here!:hugs:
So, I guess this site provides the best of BOTH WORLDS!?:brolleyes:

[Jilmac]

If it wasn't for this forum, I would probably still be in exile in my closet.

[sissystephanie]

After losing my wife a little over three years ago, this Forum has been a tremendous outlet for me. I have also learned a great deal from it. I am very happy to be a member of it and to know all you nice ladies.

[PretzelGirl]

The biggest thing to me is the ability to share our lives with someone in a related situation. I am closeted, so I will be unlikely to meet anyone locally. Here I can start to build friendships and let them grow. Who knows, some of us could possibly meet each other in the future also.

[jazmine]

Hi Sapphire,

I know where your coming from!
For me, joining this site has helped me out of the closet to a certain degree. A certain degree, meaning that I'm not telling my folks, my sister, my boss and most my friends. I've met many nice people here, and have been out to clubs with these friends many times. This forum is very helpful, and makes me feel finally "normal".

[jeenie67]

Hi, I do what I damn well please. Why should I let the world dictate my world? If someone can't handle it or makes comment, it's only a reflection of their own inadequacys. A spouse is a different story; here it's personal. An understanding is required for a mutual positive relationship. Funny......that was the only time me and my former wife really got along, both dressed sexy and playing! Family difficulties broke us up. We both kinda' miss it as we are good friends....but let it lye. Find what might work, work it and judge resultant outcomes. This site is about the best forum...why do they call it a forum?....To express!

[Emily01]

until the advent of the internet there were no support mechanisms for people like me. none at least that i was aware of.

i was left to my own thinking for company ~ not a good combination! i also had the library where i learned that i was a transvestite and that meant i had a sexual fetish and it was a disorder. it said nothing about treating it or if it was okay or not but the general theme seemed to be that there was something the matter with me and so i decided i had better keep my mouth shut.

but i couldn't stop myself since i was so unhappy when i couldn't dress and so deeply happy when i could. and this had started when i was seven years old. there weren't any sexual overtones until my very late teens and early twenties. i was darn confused how this could simply be a sexual fetish when there was no sexual activity associated with it for the first 10 years i was doing it.

this is the only time in my entire life where i have shared with total strangers the fact that i crossdress, that i enjoy it, that i'm fairly good at it, and that i have no desire or intention of ever stopping.

and this is one of the few places where people, when they hear that from me, people say "you go girl!"

i know you can imagine how nice that is to hear ~ so i think i've answered your question. :)

[Jennifer_Cross]

Very glad I found this forum, and respect it imensly... Made me realise I'm one of many who enjoy what we do. Which helped a lot!

Also many many tips discovered...... Long live!!

Jen

[Melinda G]

When I first came across this site, there were a lot of new posts to read, and it was interesting for a while. However, after a couple years, it is mostly the same ol same old. I see the same posts over and over. "I'm coming out to my wife" followed by all the usual "you go gurl", and "we're here for you" posts, followed by "she wants a divorce". When I suggested keeping it a secret, the "truth and honesty" squad was all over me, like white on rice. But they are curiously absent when someone posts that they are being divorced, or fired.
And how many "I wore pantys to work", or "I wore pantys on a plane" threads can you read. So I just look in maybe once a week now. I've been dressing since I was 14. I'm good at it. I keep it to myself. And I have had no problems, as a result.
For most of us, crossdressing is sexually driven. And you wouldn't come out to your SO, or kids, or friends, that you masturbate. So why the overwhelming need to come out to anyone, that you crossdress? I don't see it.

[JoAnne Wheeler]

This site has been a Godsend - greatest site I ever ran across !
JoAnne Wheeler

[Babette]

This forum has been a lot of fun and a great information source. I have met so many nice and interesting members. To some degree, I suppose the forum has allowed me to better understand and accept myself.

The variety of opinions and stylized expression are things that regularly draw my attention. Grant it, I don't always agree with every thing stated here, but I do respect them nonetheless. I have to remind myself that I do not have to take exceptions to differences of opinions. Doing so would wrongly relinquish my self control. So in keeping the forum an outlet, I stay focused on the positive benefits.

Babette

[Davinnia]

As the dog said, "on the internet, no one knows you're a dog"
On this forum we can be who we are & who we want to be. I don't post that often but have a read most days & know that here is a place I can turn to for help & advise when I need it, as I did when I reached the point of telling my wife.
One of the best things is that we all refer to each other as girls, no one ever says " you look like a man in a dress "
I felt wonderful when a reply to some photos I posted said I looked like a beautiful woman, a compliment I doubt I'd get anywhere else & it vindicated my being a CD.
This forum is a sanctuary, thanks for existing.

[Tamera]

When I first joined I vented out what was going on inside me and realized I was not alone.

Now I have answered questions and asked as well.

Yes I have had posts moved. Sometimes I wonder where to put my post (sometimes it fits into 2 categories)only to have a moderator nicely put it where it belongs.

All in all this is a nice site. Expecially for the newcombers who have no place to vent or ask questions. I just wish that there was a paper or something to help get the word out as well that there are groups and such to look for information. For there are a lot of newcombers who are closeted and have no where to turn to.
Hugs,
Tamera

[Rachaelb64]

I'm glad I found this place, its helped me :D

[Jennifer Cox]

... And yet, I feel I DO HAVE friends here!:hugs:


:iagree:

[renee k]

For me this site has been a place where I can share and read about experiences, that I would otherwise keep to myself or share on a very limited basis. Like others have expressed, ALLOWED me to feel normal in my gender expression. Not to mention the friends I've made here has been rewarding in itself.

Huggs, Renee

[Marjory]

I'm 66 years old. I wish there was a site like this when I was much younger. My life would have surly been different. I've belonged to other sites but this is by far the best. Since joining, I feel a lot better about myself and, as several girls have said here, even though I'm in the closet I don't feel alone.

[Jenny J]

I've made many fabulous friends here, something that I might have never done out in that drab world. I learned a lot not just about Crossdressing but about myself and who I am.

This site has given me the self confidence to get out and experience a whole new world in a gender I've kept stuffed away. To express myself in a way I never even dreamed of and I've even have some fun doing it.

It is by far the best Crossdressing site I've been to and I want to thank all the people that make it great. All the CD's, MTF's, FTM's, GG's, SO's, all the alphabet groups that make this the place to be. Everyone has a story to tell, some of them are provocative, some controversial, some informative and some are just down right interesting!

I spend way too much time here but I love every minute of it.

Jen

:rose2:

[Kathleen Grace]

A. The wonderful folks here were a great help as I got up the courage to tell my wife.

B. It's really nice to be able to express my feminine side in a supportive, friendly and civil environment.

Thanks again to you all. :)

[Alice B]

With out question this forum helped me understand the need to be Alice and to learn from others. It helped me come out to my wife and not feel the quilt I used to have. At times I think the forum makes me push the envelope too far, as far as my wife is concerned, but she quickly sets me straight. I've met some members of the forum and made several friends that I can trust here. For me the forum is a part of my life now and I visit many time a day. We are a very diverse group from all spectrums. Some I love, some I disagree with, but I accept everyone for who and what they are. And if you need someone to put things into perspective. Just read Karren's posts.:heehee:

[trisha59]

I remember the exuberance I had for this site when I first joined. I was all over the place posting and responding. Then like any new thing the excitement faded I settled into a more shall we say relaxed member. I now skip over repeated questions and spend most of my time in the lounge area. What this site has made possible before when I needed to box and put Trisha away she was gone. Now ,even though she my not be dressed, she is a more active women.

[BethLacy]

This site beautifully reflects the diversity of our community. I love the silly, sometimes inane girly threads but I find the deeply contemplative threads cathartic and nourishing. Most of my time is spent just reading and I must say that I seldom come away without feeling proud of the overall level of intelligence and sensitivity we consistently exhibit. I'm on a lotta boards dedicated to many different subjects but none match the level of civil discourse we enjoy here.

[Hali]

This forum is awesome due to the following:

Its mature
Its educational
Its therapeutic
Its funny
Its down to earth
Its kool
Its diverse
Its sophisticated
Its free
Its warm
Its caring
etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.....

[Tashee]

The forum helps put this pink life in perspective, it lets you see you are not the only one, helps you put into words how you feel and lets others interact with you from that starting point.

20 years ago we lived mainly in exile. Now its us too, whom may put our painted toes into the water before we jump into the pool. Or we can just lurk and learn if that is our bag.

[il.dso]

Participating in this website has been a very powerful
and meaningful experience for me, as well.

[Sheila]

This site has been a Godsend - greatest site I ever ran across !
JoAnne Wheeler

I second that, I am so glad to have found this site for a variety of reasons. When I first discovered my ex partners CDing I needed to learn what it could mean in terms of my relationship ...... I learned that, and a whole lot about myself in the two and a half years that I have been here.

I have made some wonderful friends here, some I may never meet, some I already have, some I plan on meeting asap, and then there is Debs, without this site I would never have met her :doh:

So many fears & tears shared, so many joys & laughs given, recieved and shared, an outlet for so much and a vessel for so much sharing " God Bless this site"

[RachelDenise]

I belive the forum to be helpful, insightful and educational. I find my interest comes and goes but after awhile, I come back and get re-involved. There is some repetition but generally it is new members seeing/asking about their issues. If you have been on here for a long time, you'll see the same topic more than once. It's still fun and a place to share and encourage.

[Joanne f]

We all have are reasons for being here , it may not always be apparent to the exact reason as to what some post, or in the way that they post it until you are willing to learn and that is what you find your self doing "learning from others" .
People deal with things in different ways, i am inclined to makes jokes in place`s where some would find it distasteful so i have learned that it can upset some , some may use anger as a way of dealing with things ,and you have to remember that there must be a lot that goes on behind the scenes in the form of help , so yes i think that all who are here get a lot from it as a lot give a lot to it .

[Chibi~Cthulhu]

as the old cliche goes "To thine own self be true"

this forum is awesome, i havent been a member here long but reading the stories that others post. their trials and triumphs and everything else, keeps me going and gives me the courage to pick myself up again and go out there day after day moving towards my goal. i think that as a whole those of us without a solid support structure in our lives come to sites like these as a way of saying "hey, life isnt that bad. i might be depressed now, but eventually things will change and that others have made this same journey before in worse times and circumstances then i have"
the simple fact that sites like this one exist at all is a symbol of how far our culture and society has come, from stoning us to at least trying to understand us. to hopefully one day letting everyone just be themselves, and letting that little boy or girl decide for themself who they are, and what it is exactly that they want from life.

p.s. sorry for the literary style to my post lol, just got done writting my english paper and im still in writter mode