San Fransisco

[Elwood]

I've been all over San Fran. I have seen both transsexuals and homosexuals. But I don't know where the ->-bleeped-<-/homo safe places are. The shops, the get-togethers, etc. It's a big city, and I don't know what to type into searches to begin looking. Is LGBT a good search term for the bay area?

I just think I'll have a chance to go there sometime soon, and I want to know where to look. I'm sure responses here will help others as well who want to visit San Fransisco.

There is a chance I could be referred to a doctor there, who may or may not have information on local trans-safe places. I am hoping I can find a store that perhaps specializes in transsexual assistive devices instead of doing all that online. It would be nice to see some of these tools in person. Regular sex stores seem to be completely designed for cisgendered folk.

[tekla]

Well SF has plenty of gay male sex stores down in the Folsom area.  You might find it there.

As for Trans safe, just about anywhere that is not total ghetto.  SF does not have a lot of 'real ->-bleeped-<-' spots, because the people here go to so many different places, and the goal is to be out with everyone and not stuck in some backwater.  ->-bleeped-<-shack had a long run, but its just about done, Diva's is pretty much strictly a professional hangout for sex workers, and that's about it. 

There are lots of events at the LGBT Center, you might look at their web page, and there are groups like TGSF that have regular meetings and events.  As do a few others.  TGSF is very open, and though its heavy on the FtM, there are a bunch of MtFs there too. 

Only trouble is that SF is pretty much a 21 and over place.  And IDs are checked.  But if you can get past that, there are almost as many gay bars and spaces as straight ones.

[Elwood]

21 and over to work with sexual issues? Seriously? I thought the 21 and over law only applied to alcohol and maybe certain types of firearms...

Oh, gay bars. Well, I don't intend to go into bars. I'm not looking for sex. I'm looking for support groups and tools to help me cope with my body...

[tekla]

Going to SF and not doing the bars and clubs is like going to Hawaii and missing the beaches.

But try TGSF, and the Center, I'm sure they could give you a list of places you can find what your looking for.

[Elwood]

Going to SF and not doing the bars and clubs is like going to Hawaii and missing the beaches.

But try TGSF, and the Center, I'm sure they could give you a list of places you can find what your looking for.

Then you don't know very much about San Fransisco. I throughly enjoyed the Japanese Cultural Center, the bridge, and Chinatown without getting wasted or having sex. Some people just like the big city. I'll go to Chicago and genuinely enjoy the buildings there, not just the drugs and the so-called adult life.

[tekla]

so-called adult life

You ought to wait till your really a so-called adult to make that call.  I'm not saying you have to get wasted, its just that a lot of stuff is not open till your 21.  Sure, Chicago has some pretty buildings.  Big deal, its nice but who cares?  What Chicago really has is..... deep in some of the not-so-good to total ghetto neighborhoods are the bars that your Dan and his buddy John went to when they were in Second City to hear the real blues that they fell so in love with.  That is the real Chicago, the place that Robert Johnson wrote "Sweet Home Chicago" about in the first place.  The home of Chess Records and Buddy Guy.  Sure, you saw a tall building, but you have not really been in Chicago till your out at 3-4 am, deep in South Side, listening to some guy just play his ass off and not really caring that the joint is about 90% African-American, and your just a white boy - a long, long way from home.  If nothing else, that whole subtext in the real blues about being alienated comes home pretty hard.

Bars, in both SF, and in Chicago (were they tend to prefer the word 'tavern') are not places to get drunk, but they are places to be adults - without the kids hanging out to annoy us.  They are neighborhood hang outs, they are were people meet to talk, watch the Cubs or Giants, argue about politics and the rest.  As it turns out, most bars do not like drunks very much.  More trouble than they are worth.  Really, if you can't hold your liquor, stay home.  But I have a few where I'm very much 'one of the regulars.'  I dress up (and I'm the only CD ever in there, I'm sure about that) but then again, that's me, the resident CD, even when I'm just in work drag.)  One in particular is a place where Ginsberg, Kerouac, Ferlinghetti, and William Saroyan hung out and wrote in.  Where Bob Dylan and Neil Cassady hung out when they were in town.  As a history kind of person, its just the atmosphere I crave, especially when it has not changed at all that much since then. I don't even think its been dusted since the late sixties.  Hell, it is one of only two bars I know of in town that does not have a TV.  So I can write to my hearts content.  And what I wear does not matter, who, what, or how I define myself does not matter, what matters is --- can you carry on a reasonably intelligent conversation?  The rest is just subject matter.

[MadMabel]

Elwood, I just spent a half hour writing up a list of San Francisco transsexual and transgender resources - and when I posted it it showed up as a blank message.  Grrrrrr.

I do not live in the Bay Area anymore but putting "Transsexual San Francisco" into Google turned up over 400,000 references.  Of course the vast majority of those are of no use but there are quite a few that are helpful. You could also try it with "transgender youth San Francisco" in the search block.

TGSF, Transgender San Francisco is supposedly a good organization. No personal knowledge, though.

The Pacific Center in Berkeley is still around and was very helpful during my own transition. Even if they no longer have the support group they can certainly refer you to sources of support.

PFLAG is a national organization.  They have a branch for young trans people, TNet, I think.

You are going to have to do some footwork and make a bunch of phone calls to find the right connections but if there is a city with more help for trans people I don't know of it.

Good luck in your search and in your transition (if that's the way you go).

PattyM
(AKA MadMabel, the crazy cat lady)

[Elwood]

Sure, Chicago has some pretty buildings.  Big deal, its nice but who cares?  What Chicago really has is..... deep in some of the not-so-good to total ghetto neighborhoods are the bars that your Dan and his buddy John went to when they were in Second City to hear the real blues that they fell so in love with.

Wow, you are so terribly off. It's hilarious, because you're trying to use their backgrounds to convince me, but you're entirely wrong.

Aykroyd liked blues long before he was old enough to drink, and he wasn't even in America. Same with John (except he was a Chicago boy, and drank anyway probably). But John didn't know he liked blues. He kept calling blues "rock." It was when they met that John started to understand blues more. But Dan had been playing the harmonica since he was 17, inspired by blues artists.

I don't have to go to a bar to experience blues, and you know it. You're full of crap.

It is a so-called "adult life." I don't have to go to a bar to listen to blues. Blues festivals are usually outdoors, and are open to the public. I play my own blues, I'd like to write some time. Most of my favorite artists are dead anyhow, so I can't hope to see them live in some secluded bar down in the slums.

Telling me to get drunk in San Fransisco has nothing to do with my learning about blues in Chicago. I won't be going to Chicago until after I am 21 precisely because a lot of the clubs do sell alcohol. I still won't be having any. I want to go to San Fransisco to look for trans solutions and support. That has nothing to do with getting drunk, grinding, sweating all over a stranger and waking up 30 miles from my apartment. Transsexuals aren't just lush adults who get wasted all day. There ARE places that can help me in San Fransisco that allow minors.

I don't need your life story, your showing off, your condescending tone to figure out that you've completely missed the point of this thread.

Posted on: June 26, 2008, 06:27:18 PM

TGSF, Transgender San Francisco is supposedly a good organization. No personal knowledge, though.

Excellent. I can go to them and look for more contacts. I'm sure they have references. I'm in the North Bay area so San Fransisco is about an hour and a half away from here.

Thanks for the names you listed, and I'll definitely try those searches.

[tekla]

TGSF is good, but more social than support.  But they can hook you up with more support orientated groups.

[Elwood]

TGSF is good, but more social than support.  But they can hook you up with more support orientated groups.

Thank you, tekla. 

I think social is somewhat what I need, but I'm also hoping to see more people with... knowledge on the subject. I want to talk to a GID specialist, but that won't happen for many months... So I want to meet some post-op people or some people who are starting HRT. I also want to see what tools (be them mental or physical) are available to help me cope.

[tekla]

You might try these folks, they tend to be younger, TGSF is over 30 for the most part, and lots of FtMs too, and they do a lot of stuff, I think they meet in Berkeley, or at least they used to.

http://www.unitedgenders.org/

Also, the center at the center of it all might help, they have programs, and help for just about everyone about just about everything.

http://www.sfcenter.org/

[Alyssa M.]

I just saw this thread.

That is the real Chicago, the place that Robert Johnson wrote "Sweet Home Chicago" about in the first place.

Yeah, Robert Johnson knew the real Chicago -- that's why he sang:

Honey don't you want to go
Back to the land of California
To my sweet home Chicago

Chicago, CA is one of my favorite cities too!

[joannatsf]

The whole damn city is TG friendly.  Stores, bars, whatever.  There are ->-bleeped-<- bars of course but as FtoM and young, Iwould hit The Lexington on...Lexington Street in the Mission.  Lots of terminaly hip lesbians and trans men.  If you're into guys, let me know.  I have a gay FtM friend that has a string of boyfriends and knows the scene.

You don't need to be a drinker to enjoy The City.  I love the place and neither drink or drug.

Here's a few resources:

The apparatus youmentioned in the OP?  Good Vibrations has the best quality.  It's clean, female friendly and it's not a jack shack.

Hormones and meds can be had at Lyon-Martin Women's Health Clinic.  !/2 the TG people in town get their hormones there and they provide continued monitoring based on your ability to pay.  I know a few FtM support groups you may like to look at too!

Reminder from:
 
kithology_trans Yahoo! Group
 
Title: FTMs & Friends Community Social
 
Date: Wednesday July 9, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Repeats:This event repeats every week.

Location: Muddy Waters Coffee House/Church St. Cafe - 260 Church St. San Francisco, CA 94114
Notes: Stop by for some coffee and chat.

A fellow named Zander is in charge.  He's a great guy and can probably hook you up with any resource you may need.