So Alison finally met some people and was met for the very first time! I decided to attend a support group meeting. This was my first time ever being out en femme.
Someone there asked if I was nervous and I answered honestly that I did not feel nervousness and felt very comfortable and at-ease. Before I left the house I was getting my things together and felt a rush of excitement just from seeing my heels next to my handbag on the floor by the nightstand. "I am definitely a crossdresser!" thought I.
The support group meeting was attended by about 15 ladies and one FTM with his girlfriend. The group was pretty evenly split between CD's (some of whom were just men in dresses/makeup) and people in the process of transitioning. As with a lot of things on this journey, I was again amazed by what I found.
I am a CD and I feel like I that's my level in the TG world. I have sincere empathy for those who are transitioning. They are involved in a struggle I can only imagine. I am happy to offer support and encouragement. And I admire their courage in realizing the person they are. Theirs is a very different path than mine and it appears to be a brutal journey that I wish could be softened for them.
We all have a right to be who we are. When hormone therapy and surgeries are required to be who you are, it takes on a very different tone. When the therapies are being administered by people who don't know what they are doing (this seems to be far more common than it should be), that tone takes on a dark side that I can only imagine is a torture to suffer through.
My sympathies and support are with those of you who are transitioning. I wish the general public knew how truly courageous you are.