When did you meet another trans person for the first time?

[PurpleWolf]

Has there always been trans people in your life? (Probably not.)
When did you meet others like you for the first time?
How did that make you feel?
Do you have many trans friends (in real life)?
Do trans friends offer you something more that cis friends can't?

---
As for me - I have never met any trans people in my life.
I've only ever had a couple of email friends. And now you.
Hence the immense need to ask questions...

But so far I'm feeling great  ! Maybe peer support rocks after all...

My addiction to this forum is starting to show unhealthy consequences...!

[Sol]

My first brush with ->-bleeped-<- was at high school. One of my best friends was transitioning to be a girl and had to petition to be allowed to wear the girls uniform.

I know quite a few transgendered people now. In real life they are all MTF's and online, in my friends I have a few FTM's which is refreshing.

Trans people are just normal people and offer me friendship just like cis people.

[Julia1996]

I first met another trans person several months ago. A 16 year old who came into work to have her hair done. She's the only trans person I've met in person. We text and stay in touch.

[natalie.ashlyne]

When I was younger I hooked up with a transgirl and we would talk a bit but that was more of a friends with benifits thing I did have a crush on her and wish she was still around but our lifestyles where differant plus she moved to states to do movies, I have meet some at my endocrinologist office I dont have any trans friends that I have meet in person per say

[Jessica]

At my first support group meeting.  We started talking immediately.  She had transitioned with srs already and was beautiful.  She came from similar family experience.  She asked if I was thinking of srs.  I said I don't think so and maybe I sounded a bit defiant.  She said to another that I sounded just like her 1 year ago.  That statement has stuck in my mind.  Here I am 5 months later and definitely not saying no defiantly any longer.
Smiles, Jessica 🙋‍♀️

[Corax]

Has there always been trans people in your life?
Nope. Had no clue about transsexual people for the most part of my existence.
When did you meet others like you for the first time?
Like me? Never, I am an individual   Other transsexual people? 2016.
How did that make you feel?
Didn't make me feel anything to be honest! The first I ever met (beginning of 2016) weren't on my wavelength at all and I didn't really like them and didn't want to see them again just because they happened to have the same medical problem, hence I didn't stay in contact.
I then went to a group over a year later (end of 2017) and met some people there one can have interesting and nice conversations with so far. 
Do you have many trans friends (in real life)?
I don't have an actual friend who is trans. 
Do trans friends offer you something more that cis friends can't?
I don't know if they could. The few friends I have are cis.

[Alanna1990]

I didn't even know changing gender was a thing...

When I was younger all I knew was that there were men who dressed as women for whatever reason, I didn't even understand my feelings, so I started doing some research and found that some women were men in the past, it started making noise in my head, I was very closeminded in the past, so when I thought about transgender I usually thought about some ugly point inbetween men and women, because where I live that is a very strong stereotype, what made me decide to do it was forums like this one with so many pretty people who successfully changed their gender and most importantly, continued with their lives, it wasn't an end all situation.

some friends did know some transgender girls and I was kinda sad because one of the girls they showed me in pictures was a bomb, incredibly beautiful and working as a model (me being more of a "girl next door" it hurt my selfsteem).

so, I'm the only transgender in the family and in my circle of friends, in fact the first transgender girl I ever saw other than myself was a girl in the subway when I was in mexico city, the poor girl matched all the stereotypes of my country, but it was good knowing that I'm not a rare breed of people, I wish there were other trans people near me, even if I don't look trans myself that much

[DawnOday]

About two months prior to speaking to my therapist. I met a new friend by the name of Chris-deee. I have to admit I was uncomfortable. Not because she was trans but because I am never comfortable with anyone. Chris did answer many questions however. I hope we will meet again. Thank you Chris. Since then I attend support meetings at the Ingersoll Gender Center where the usual attendance is between 40 and 60 a session. I also went to Gender Odyssey where there were 1700 trans, SO's and allies in attendance. This was the singular most affirming situation in my life. For once I felt I was not alone.

[DawnOday]

I wish there were other trans people near me, even if I don't look trans myself that much

Look thru this list to find a support group in your area. If you can't find one, pm me and I will do a more in depth look. The list in the US is pretty much up to date. https://www.susans.org/links/Local_Support_Groups_&_Organizations//

[sarah1972]

Oddly enough pretty late in the game. First time I really talked to another openly trans person was over a year after admitting it to myself. Then again nothing for 6 month until last week...

I may have seen a few more in the meantime but not talked to....

[Alanna1990]

Look thru this list to find a support group in your area. If you can't find one, pm me and I will do a more in depth look. The list in the US is pretty much up to date. https://www.susans.org/links/Local_Support_Groups_&_Organizations//

thanks, but I'm from mexico, if you're not pretty people still kill you here, so pretty much all the transgender folk stay more or less hidden

[DawnOday]

https://www.susans.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Mexico   
http://www.refworld.org/docid/50753f172.html Here are some rights reference material for Mexico.

[Alanna1990]

https://www.susans.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Mexico   
http://www.refworld.org/docid/50753f172.html Here are some rights reference material for Mexico.

Thanks... but I know all this already, in mexico all of this is just dead words, most people discriminate A LOT if you are not cisgender, the cities where there are more laws protecting LGBT folk are where the most murders and other crimes ocur.

Where I live it is the worst state regarding LGBT rights and bastion of the "National Front for the Family" (an anti-LGBT group with a lot of power in the government) even if a national law was already passed to protect everybody here the local laws say otherwise and they refuse with all their might to change them, you can ask anybody and almost every men will thell you "f$&%@ng gays, they should be killed", women are more more accepting, but they also have it tough here, what the laws say is one thing, but what really happens here is totally different, it's one of those cases where the laws are trying to force acceptance on the population but their hatred is a lot more than the laws can handle, the laws are so accepting that I was able to legally change my name in just two weeks no questions asked so that is not an issue.

I'm mostly safe because I pass on public and I thank god for that.

[KathyLauren]

The first trans person in my life, that I knew of anyway, was the keynote speaker at a convention, just over two years ago.  I didn't actually meet her, but seeing her deliver her talk with confidence and without derogatory comments in the audience gave me the confidence to consider whether I was trans.

Now, of course, I have many trans people in my life, both in real life and online, MTF, FTM, and NB.

[PurpleWolf]

Thanks... but I know all this already, in mexico all of this is just dead words, most people discriminate A LOT if you are not cisgender, the cities where there are more laws protecting LGBT folk are where the most murders and other crimes ocur.

Where I live it is the worst state regarding LGBT rights and bastion of the "National Front for the Family" (an anti-LGBT group with a lot of power in the government) even if a national law was already passed to protect everybody here the local laws say otherwise and they refuse with all their might to change them, you can ask anybody and almost every men will thell you "f$&%@ng gays, they should be killed", women are more more accepting, but they also have it tough here, what the laws say is one thing, but what really happens here is totally different, it's one of those cases where the laws are trying to force acceptance on the population but their hatred is a lot more than the laws can handle, the laws are so accepting that I was able to legally change my name in just two weeks no questions asked so that is not an issue.

I'm mostly safe because I pass on public and I thank god for that.

Sigh... I'm so sorry to hear that  ! What I hear is that Mexico has a lot of issues when it comes to human rights & safety...! Unfortunately!!! All the best for you! Hang in there! And try to keep yourself safe!
Hugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Laurie]

  Mr PW,

  Wolfie, my first was another member here who dared me to meet her at my first mtf support meeting. Her name is Tessa.James. I also talked to another mtf there. I have since gone on to meet 10 other members of Susan's Place on that little road trip I mentioned to you elsewhere. I have more to meet and some to revisit if they will let me.

Hugs,
   Larie

[Roll]

I've never met another trans person that I am aware of. Honestly, I've only met a handful of even LGB people who were openly LGB, and that was only in passing. Just one of those types of areas.

[Michelle_P]

I met a number of folks who were what we now call transgender in the San Francisco Tenderloin neighborhood when I was about 15 and was running around the city on my own.  I was likely one of them, as when I got off the local bus in the TransBay Terminal when I went to the city, I'd brush my hair out and put on a long embroidered top to go better with my bell-bottoms before I left the terminal. 

The first time I met someone I knew was transgender as an adult was in 1985, while interviewing people for an engineering position.  I had suppressed myself following some treatments I got as a teen, not very successfully.  While I was wrapping up the interview session, the thought crossed my mind that she was being very brave, and I wished that I could do that.  My subconscious had outed me to myself.

[DawnOday]

Thanks... but I know all this already, in mexico all of this is just dead words, most people discriminate A LOT if you are not cisgender, the cities where there are more laws protecting LGBT folk are where the most murders and other crimes ocur.

Where I live it is the worst state regarding LGBT rights and bastion of the "National Front for the Family" (an anti-LGBT group with a lot of power in the government) even if a national law was already passed to protect everybody here the local laws say otherwise and they refuse with all their might to change them, you can ask anybody and almost every men will thell you "f$&%@ng gays, they should be killed", women are more more accepting, but they also have it tough here, what the laws say is one thing, but what really happens here is totally different, it's one of those cases where the laws are trying to force acceptance on the population but their hatred is a lot more than the laws can handle, the laws are so accepting that I was able to legally change my name in just two weeks no questions asked so that is not an issue.

I'm mostly safe because I pass on public and I thank god for that.

Alanna  It is sad that people think they are better, especially when it has nothing to do with them. I hope that this will come to pass. You are beautiful. You really are. I won't give up looking for a resource for you, where you are accepted for the lovely person you are.


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[Allison S]

There were trans people in my high school if I remember correctly.

We never talked so I don't know if we had much in common. I know someone I was friends with in middle school transitioned mtf and we later reconnected for a day. She seemed happy at the time- I remember once before transitioning she teasingly mentioned something about me having long hair and was laughing. I didnt't really cross my mind much at the time. I thought it would be too hard of a thing for me to go through and that if I wanted to make it in life I had to stay the way I was..

I have trans friends now but they aren't any different than anyone else.

You're on a roll with these questions threads and they're all really good!

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