Should i take the big step

[Karren H]

All depends on if you think you need support or not.... Personally I have never felt the need..... (except for a good pushup bra) I can and have been able to figure things out in my head and handle every situation I've been in so far.... but if you don't feel comfortable then by all means.... go... see if its for you at least.... and if your not happy with your situation... do something about it.... change your situation or change yourself... or both...... not being happy isn't an option.. imho...

[Barbra P]

Hi again

Just to add a bit to Karren’s comment, I don’t feel that I have gotten a whole lot of support from the support group I joined. However joining eased me into going out, something that I might not have done on my own. I continued to go to meetings because I enjoyed the company and it was a good way to go and have dinner with the “girls”.

A local support group affords an easy way to meet others in a safe environment. I would go in drab for the first meeting just to see how things operate and get some of your questions answered. Some groups have a place where you can change, mine did not and mine required that you walk into a restaurant on a Saturday evening when the restaurant was usually busy, something that can be quite scary for someone who is basically still in the closet. If the meeting is held in a public venue see if a member will meet you outside and walk in with you – nothing like a guiding hand to ease quiet your nerves.

I discovered the first time I went en femme that if I needed to use the rest room, which I did, I was expected to use the Woman’s Room and that meant walking through the restaurant’s dining room again and gathering up the courage to enter very alien territory. Am I glad I joined? Yes. Did I make some friends? Yes, although of the two I felt the closest to one lives out of town and doesn’t get to San Diego all that often and one transitioned and moved out of town. I did attend the Christmas Dinner this month and had an enjoyable time; the closet tends to get lonely and a local support group affords a nice alternative to being cooped up and alone.