Statistics, coincidence and 3 degrees of freedom for trans*people

[Cindy]

When of the weird things about being trans* is that we are so alone. No one else is trans* and then we get on sites like this and suddenly, OMG there are lots of people like me and they are not in the zoo!

I was at one social meeting for trans* people several years ago - it was a group for newbies to meet  (I was a newbie) and have a coffee in a safe place with lots of safety for newbies not to have to go too public - what surprised people was there was three MtF who had been in the same class room in the same year at the same school. They never knew each other was trans. It was a fun night for all and three sisters found each other.

What has been your weird experience in this respect?

This is a fun thread and I'm happy for the usual wavering away that seems to happen to my threads

Hugs

Cindy

[Jenny07]

Good question Cindy

This week I have come out to the GP and she mentioned that it's more common that I thought. Not sure what her definition of common is?
She looks after quite a few people who have similar feelings to myself and it was very easy to talk to her about it. It did make me feel like I'm not alone as you say and there is support out there.
I also raised this today with my therapist and found it oddly reassuring after a major anxiety attack earlier in the week.

I would like to meet some of the others here in Sydney, but they are not as up front as yourself Cindy.
Shame I think we could help each other even if it just for moral support.

Perhaps soon.

J

[Natkat]

My wierd experience is as more I know of transpeople are more I see them everywhere.

before I felt I was the only one in the world, I didnt even knew anyone who was gay or anything. as I came out I found out several people in my famely where gay, some recents of my parrents friend where transgender, couple of people on my school I never had imigined was trans or gay or intersex, my teacher where gay and so it continued.

[Exus]

I haven't met another transgender here where I live yet, I heard a rumor about an ftm in school but he was a freshman while I was junior.

[suzifrommd]

I have a good friend who is a trans woman. I've known her for about four years, and was pretty sure she was trans just from looks, voice etc., but the subject never came up because she never raised it and I certainly wasn't going to.

When I realized I was transgender and began making preparations to transition, I thought about ways I might raise the subject with her. I had decided long before that I wasn't going to come out unless someone was genuinely curious, because it's kind of a heavy thing to lay on a friend.

I started growing my nails long and gloss them, but she never brought it up and neither did I. It wasn't until I pierced my ears about six weeks before I was to go full time that she asked what it was about. When I came out to her, it turned out we had known a lot of the same people, gone to the same support group (not concurrently of course), etc.

Oddly though, there's been some distance between us since I've started full time, that I'm not sure I completely understand.

[Rachel85]

I was amazed coming back to Sydney from Adelaide that there weren't more groups that meet up! I met up fairly quickly with a group in Adelaide that meet and met some lovely people and thought, ok, Sydney is about 4 times bigger so there should be heaps more groups!
Nope! I've only been out with the girls that meet in the inner west once a month Jenny and they're all lovely too but it's a long way and my work timetable sucks so I haven't caught up since then. I was at the Gender Centre last week and asked why there weren't more groups and the general consensus is that a lot of people who transition pretty much go stealth or just circulate in the Queer community. Strange that in a city of 4.5 million people there aren't more support groups, but tbh I love the level of anonymity that I have living here
To hop back on topic, when I told my sister in law she just said "Cool, one of the girls (FTM) I went to high school with was a trans." and has been fine with it since. She has warned me that I will likely cop some of her more bitchy side now that she sees me as a girl. Is that good or bad? I'm yet to figure that out