Which is a better place ?
Edit: Edited for privacy.
I live just outside of Seattle. I started my transition at 29, and looked like a guys guy. I have had no issues at all, and have found so much support in this area. I personally would recommend here.
I'm north of Seattle by just a few miles, and have met several really nice people, no nasty ones. Jobs are here (Boeing, for one. Don't know your degree, but...around here most everything revolves around aircraft or computer/software/gaming)
That said, I LOVE LOVE Portland. There's just something about it...maybe it's weird, or something. ;)
Don't listen to those two. Come to Portland. We are trans-friendly, especially downtown. I like in a small town jut outside of Portland, called Fairview (near Troutdale) and it is also very friendly.
Kia Ora,
::) Don't you go listening to those three.......Come to.......................................it's a much better place than their place ;) ;D
Metta Zenda :)
I live in Seattle. Born and raised. Ive gone years as androgynous male, and am starting to be read as female. I have business all over the city proper as well as in suburbs and cities all over the greater Seattle area, and no one has given me so much as a weird look.
I don't think one choice is better than the other, frankly, as I know people who have transitioned in both places.
I have lived in Both Oregon, and Washington. It is much better up here in Washington. Don't listen to those silly people from Oregon!! :P
Hmmmm, I see this isn't going to be an easy choice. ;D
Quote from: Brooke777 on March 31, 2013, 06:33:00 PM
I have lived in Both Oregon, and Washington. It is much better up here in Washington. Don't listen to those silly people from Oregon!! :P
Yeah, Portland is WEIRD!© (And I'm thinking of moving there in the future).
In Oregon we have protect from discrimination in housing and employment.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. I don't really think you could go wrong with either place. Both cities are amazing :)
And we have the Trailblazers. What you got Seattle? Oh Yeah the Sonics left, didn't they. (https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmileys.on-my-web.com%2Frepository%2FAnimals%2Fferret-4.gif&hash=34a3e40b48ee901ac7f4a696a28192c1777cff6e)
Kia Ora,
I love it... a re enactment of the American civil war ;) ;D I should add only less violent :icon_bunch:
Metta Zenda :)
Quote from: Ms. OBrien CVT on March 31, 2013, 07:11:15 PM
And we have the Trailblazers. What you got Seattle? Oh Yeah the Sonics left, didn't they. (https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmileys.on-my-web.com%2Frepository%2FAnimals%2Fferret-4.gif&hash=34a3e40b48ee901ac7f4a696a28192c1777cff6e)
I will say this for Portland...they have these excellent things called "pods", which are like the taco trucks you might have seen, but these are ENTIRE parking lots full of trucks on blocks (and sometimes trailers), selling really good food for cheap...OMG that is a reason for Portland any day of the week!!! :P
Oh wait, I'm supposed to be cheering for Seattle...Umm...yeah, we have a BIG ferris wheel on the waterfront!! (Which I've never been too, hint hint)
Quote from: Ms. OBrien CVT on March 31, 2013, 06:54:32 PM
In Oregon we have protect from discrimination in housing and employment.
We do too. It's not a competition. Cuz obviously Seattle rules. :P
Doesn't the weather really suck in the pacific northwest? East coast is better. Besides, its only a matter of time before the whole west coast falls into the ocean.
Portland Rules, Seattle Drools. ;D
They do have that ancient tower called the Space Needle. We have vast green spaces.
Quote from: Jaime R D on March 31, 2013, 07:22:03 PM
Doesn't the weather really suck in the pacific northwest? East coast is better. Besides, its only a matter of time before the whole west coast falls into the ocean.
Lets see. Hurricane Sandy, Nor'easters, Tons of Snow. Yeah our rain sux. NOT! :D
Quote from: Ms. OBrien CVT on March 31, 2013, 07:28:58 PM
Lets see. Hurricane Sandy, Nor'easters, Tons of Snow. Yeah our rain sux. NOT! :D
Where I am, haven't seen a flake of snow this last winter. And hurricanes are fun and help find the weaknesses of structures and our government's ability to respond to emergencies.
Sorry Janet, I can one up anything you have for Portland. Washington has legalized same sex marriage...and pot! Oregon cannot compare to those!! HA! :o >:-) :-* ;D
Really? Really? Same sex marriage is only legal as far as the state. The feds still don't recognize it. And pot is still illegal by federal law.
We still have no sales tax. :icon_poke:
Quote from: Ms. OBrien CVT on March 31, 2013, 07:45:51 PM
Really? Really? Same sex marriage is only legal as far as the state. The feds still don't recognize it. And pot is still illegal by federal law.
We still have no sales tax. :icon_poke:
But you do have an income tax...and the state doesn't trust you to pump your own gas!
;)
Edit: Thank you for the replies.
Edit:Thank you for the replies.
Here in Portland, we have Intel and Nike. Google is also not far from here. Seattle and Portland both have Boeing.
If you stay out of Seattle proper, you can find something inexpensive. Living in Seattle itself is a lot like San Francisco. Very expensive.
Agreed about not living in Seattle proper. Business degrees aren't a problem, you should be able to find work quickly.
The whole world is business, in one form or another. The entire area from about Everett down to Olympia is just bustling...beyond Olympia you have Vancouver (WA) and Portland (just across the Columbia), but you can find one BR's or studios for around $700...probably don't want to go much lower, then you start getting into slumland.
Don't forget I-405, that's where Microsoft et al is.
Good advice, thanks. Hopefully I can find some roommates that are friendly. Looking like im going to have to do that for a few more years again.
When planning transition you want to live as cheaply as possible. A great thing about both the Seattle and Portland areas is that you can choose to live as cheaply as possible and your very cheapness can be seen as a virtue. NOT spending money is good on the environment, green etc. Heck, you don't even need to eat meat out here; its not considered strange to get your protein from green slimey stuff. But you do have to learn to like coffee or tea. Without caffeine, your life expectancy in the PNW is 3 weeks of sunshine, or about 25 calendar years, whichever comes first.
-Maddie
Portland girl
And to be fair, there's always California where I grew up:
Santa Cruz California has the job situation of Portland and the housing prices of Seattle, but is in one of the weirdest and most beautiful places on earth. Fighting banana slugs, carousels, moody stars...
I'll vouch for the friendliness of Seattle, but if you want the best of both worlds, Olympia, Washington is the best place to be. Friendly people everywhere, pretty cheap to live in, especially Lacey. And it's just a drive away from both Seattle and Portland. It truly is the best of both worlds.
Edit: Edit for privacy. Thank you.
Quote from: Jaime R D on March 31, 2013, 07:22:03 PM
Doesn't the weather really suck in the pacific northwest? East coast is better. Besides, its only a matter of time before the whole west coast falls into the ocean.
I think not! Uh - wait, wait, wasn't it you that was sweating a flood not long ago Jaime?
Quote from: Brooke777 on March 31, 2013, 06:33:00 PM
I have lived in Both Oregon, and Washington. It is much better up here in Washington. Don't listen to those silly people from Oregon!! :P
Pffft
Quote from: Ms. OBrien CVT on March 31, 2013, 07:11:15 PM
And we have the Trailblazers. What you got Seattle? Oh Yeah the Sonics left, didn't they. (https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsmileys.on-my-web.com%2Frepository%2FAnimals%2Fferret-4.gif&hash=34a3e40b48ee901ac7f4a696a28192c1777cff6e)
Haha! Pwned! Well they do have the Seahawks... >:-)
JC, I'd say depends on how cold you like your weather, cold or colder?
Portland! [As I hesitate moving to Washington myself]
Yeah, as a life-long Seahawks fan, that tends to tip the balance in Seattle's favor for me :) Within the next few years, Seattle is likely to have SIX major pro sports teams (NFL, MLB, MLS, WNBA, NBA, NHL), while Portland will only have the Blazers and the Timbers.
Quote from: Shantel on April 01, 2013, 07:09:27 PM
I think not! Uh - wait, wait, wasn't it you that was sweating a flood not long ago Jaime?
The bad one back in '03 was what spurred me to finally transition plus my house ended up being completely remodeled and raised with the insurance money. The one year before last didn't really do any damage since I was high enough that time.
Quote from: Jaime R D on April 03, 2013, 09:30:31 AM
The bad one back in '03 was what spurred me to finally transition plus my house ended up being completely remodeled and raised with the insurance money. The one year before last didn't really do any damage since I was high enough that time.
Seattle is situated on seven hills, water runs downhill, we don't have hail the size of baseballs like some places do, no tornadoes or hurricanes, only an occasional high wind, no cockroaches, mild winters. This is of all the places in the world, the nicest place to live and it is reasonably transgender friendly. When will you be moving up here Jamie? :)
We do have a football team and a baseball team. OK they are both down in Eugene, but still.
Go Ducks.
hopefully Seattle's basketball team gets approved. But we now have a women's MLS team :)
don't let the mild winter thing fool you though. we can get some nasty winters. This year was pretty mild though. then there is not a state income tax, but there is sales tax. We're close to B.C. Always fun to visit Victoria or Vancouver :) summers are great but seem to short.
Portland has tax free shopping. they have a basketball team as well. that's all I know about Portland. going down there today for shopping and basketball lol
seriously both are great places :)
What fun!
I have lived and worked in the Seattle area and in Portland and agree they are wonderful places to live. Dynamic, vital, progressive and I am treated very nicely even if hardly passable. Oregon now require "trans care" be provided by all health insurance carriers and that is saving me big bucks in transition, HRT costs and beyond.
Seattle traffic is impossible while Portland can do gridlock but has a great rail/streetcar systems and both cities are premium bicycle towns.
Portland celebrates weirdness and is just the right size as Oregon has some of the best land use laws that protect our great green rainforests and farms from sprawl.
You are looking at great choices in the pacific northwest; good luck.
Tessa James
Quote from: Ms. OBrien CVT on April 03, 2013, 09:58:52 AM
Go Ducks.
Yes! Another Duck fan! woohoo!
Tessa - thank you for reminding me about the trans care requirement ;D
I'll put another vote in for Portland, because... well... I happen to live here. :P
Admittedly, I'm a bit biased in favor of Seattle in part because I write a blog about the Seahawks :)
I had a great night out in Seattle. My gf and I went shopping at a little boutique that I went to when I first started dressing. They were so happy to see me, and were amazed at how much I have changed. I bring this up because it shows how accepting the culture is here.
Thanks for all the replies everyone.
Please don't quote the following, I'll probably end up deleting some of it in the future for privacy reasons:
Sorry it didn't work out for you. Finding a job is a hard, time consuming endeavor, and a week really isn't a lot of time to give yourself to try to find one. I wouldn't give up yet, though. Keep sending your resume out and eventually you'll start getting a few bites on it. Trust me, I know how you feel. I'm looking for a new job myself and it's a painful, painful process. As far as housing goes, if you do find a job where you have to relocate quickly, it's okay to settle for some sub-standard housing for a 6th month lease, until you can find something better, or more affordable.
Hi Jumpingcats,
First off, I feel for your fear and worries. That is a scary situation to be in. Your parents asking you to leave so soon after graduation: epic fail. I was just having a discussion with my older sister on Sunday, who has three children under 30. She said this economy has devastated the opportunities of the under thirties, and any parent who fails to provide a home for their child of that age group while they get on their feet, are an absolute disgrace to the human race. I agree.
I can give you just a few options that may be of help:
1. Put your foot down and stay until you are ready to go. I heard the word "ask". The proper reply is, "I want to mom and dad, but I can't. If you help me, I will go sooner. If you don't, I may be here a long time, through no fault of my own, until I can do it all myself."
2. Make contact with the extended family, all of your aunts and uncles, grandparents if you have them, cousins. OPEN UP about your situation and hold nothing back. This includes family friends that are "like family". They key here is, you don't have the option of staying silent and just sucking it up. Talking to everybody, openly, emotionally, and yet respectfully, will accomplish the following:
a) peer pressure. believe me, when your parents' family and friends realize what they are doing to you, there will be pressure to stop. This is not guaranteed, but-- it is how families work.
b) circles of help. Every household in your extended family probably has at least one available couch, if not even an empty guest room. Some may be in a position to hire someone for their first job out of college. Or know people who do.
c) practice with safe people. sharing your story and your situation with people who love you, make it easier to ask for help when you need to, from people you don't know yet. get that practice, and be greedy about getting any positive experience, any assistance, any listening ear, any practical advice or encouragement or offer that you can.
3. Get in touch with assistance before you go, while you visit, and after you put down your stakes. If you have two parents, and have been in college, you probably have missed some of the hard survival skill lessons that less fortunate kids have had to learn to survive this far. No shame in that, but it means that you need to peel back the "self reliance" gospel that was drilled into you and change it into a plan to give back when you can, and for now, to receive all you can get. Some resources:
a) LGBT youth charities. There are very strong organizations in the Seattle and Portland areas for supporting LGBT homeless youth. Most serve kids up to about 24, so you are probably right in their target clientele. And they know a ton a ton of community resources that you can use to avoid becoming homeless, or if you do become, to be homeless for as short a period as you can.
b) couch surfing. If you are fully in boy mode still, then you really should be able to use couchsurfing.org to find free (or in exchange for cleaning and a little help with the groceries) temporary housing - and even transitioning, in PNW, still ok.
c) food banks and meal programs. If you have more time than money, you can feed yourself for free except your bus pass or gas money or bike maintenance or shoe upkeep. Especially combined with:
d) food stamps. You qualify. Go get 'em.
e) temporary agencies. The big secret of getting a job: you have to have one. Whenever I have had no job, I have applied at every temp agency in the area, then go their every day or two to use their free training programs and to chat with the people who work there. That twofold strategy will put you at the top of the list in their minds as capable and highly motivated worker who shows up, and they will place you. As soon as the agency gets to know you and likes you, they can keep you working full time even if it is 3 days here 5 days there. It only takes one, but you don't know which will be the one, so your work with them all. When you are working for one agency, keep touch once a week with the other agencies, say I am currently working in an assignment for (this # days), but if you have any opportunities for me I would love to work with you when this assignment is up. Agencies LOVE poaching temps who are working well for other agencies, and LOVE giving them permanent full time jobs - because they often get paid well by the employer if you go permanent.
f) roommates. The key to getting an apartment is to have a job AND a rental history. #e will take care of the job aspect; getting a roommate once you get your first check as a temp will start creating your rental history. Roommates can save you between 25% and 70% of your rent, depending on the bedroom to house ratio. Even better: roommates know the area, and if you go out of your comfort zone and make friendships with all of your roommates no matter how difficult, you will have the start of a network. Be the roommate who cleans, who cooks (perhaps in exchange for a smaller share of the groceries if it is a house that dinners together), who is there to run errands, and bathe the cat. Now they owe you. And some will come through. It only takes one.
g) college career office and alumni office. Your school has a national alumni network. At the very least, you should be writing calling visiting (I'm considering moving to ... and as a brand new graduate, I would like to meet you for coffee and discuss what it is like to live and work in... and any suggestions or tips you may have for me in my job search and apartment search. College connections are probably the second best resource after family, so use them if you've got them.
h) ask other people who are surviving in your target area. They may be willing to share the charities that are of the most help, and how to approach.
i) volunteer with a charity. The people who work and volunteer in those places no more resources than you can ever imagine, and are excited to help someone they like and have gotten to know. Your volunteering also helps solve that problem of not getting job offers until you already have a job. Network network network.
If you end up drifting south to Portland, let us know so we can activate the Portland Susans Mafia Response Limo.
*hugs*
Maddie of Portland
Maddie, you are a saint! :eusa_clap:
Quote from: MadelineB on April 16, 2013, 10:08:01 AM
If you end up drifting south to Portland, let us know so we can activate the Portland Susans Mafia Response Limo.
*hugs*
Maddie of Portland
... We have a limo? Why didn't anybody tell me about this?
Quote from: Shodan on April 16, 2013, 10:14:34 AM
... We have a limo? Why didn't anybody tell me about this?
Shhh!
It's Maddie's mini-van...QuoteFirst off, I feel for your fear and worries. That is a scary situation to be in. Your parents asking you to leave so soon after graduation: epic fail. I was just having a discussion with my older sister on Sunday, who has three children under 30. She said this economy has devastated the opportunities of the under thirties, and any parent who fails to provide a home for their child of that age group while they get on their feet, are an absolute disgrace to the human race. I agree.
I can give you just a few options that may be of help:
1. Put your foot down and stay until you are ready to go. I heard the word "ask". The proper reply is, "I want to mom and dad, but I can't. If you help me, I will go sooner. If you don't, I may be here a long time, through no fault of my own, until I can do it all myself."
Speaking as a parent, this is somewhat biased. We don't know if the parents tried to encourage the student to get a job (or at least look for one) prior to giving the ultimatum. I know in the case of one of my own kids (the 17yo), he hasn't even filled out a single job app yet, sleeps in until 2pm, and basically doesn't care about providing for himself--or even asking about it.
I asked my parents about renting, jobs, self-care, budgeting, etc when I was like 14 or 15...and had my first job (janitor's assistant) at 16.
QuoteShe said this economy has devastated the opportunities of the under thirties...
Be aware that "this economy" makes the situation nameless, faceless, and without putting any responsibility on anyone. The fact is, the economy we have is because we allowed the gov't to "compete on the global economy", rather than protecting American workers and American jobs. It's just another piece of evidence that the US is owned by "Wall Street" (i.e., international investors--investors who are willing to take their American money and invest it overseas, which costs Americans their jobs.)
Capitalism SUCKS. One of the aspects of international investing is the fact that many foreign investors/investment groups buy up many many houses and apartments...then jack up the rents to recoup their investment. Also, capitalists love the idea of uncontrolled immigration--lots of immigrants (legal and illegal) = higher occupancy rates = higher rental rates (never mind lowering the overall wages and taking jobs away from Americans born here).
Yes, immigration should be controlled...if we care about the workers in this country.
Yes, investing should be controlled...and overseas investing (both incoming and outgoing) should be controlled.
Yes, businesses should be forced to provide adequate wages for their workers.
Yes, you have more pressing concerns than politics...but the reality is (for Americans at least), once you get a job and a full belly, you will want to play, and not study why it's so damn hard to get a job and a place to live as an "entry-level" worker...
Ok, I'm done ranting. No one cares anyway. Good luck with your job search. Maddie does have a number of good suggestions. Print them out and carry them with you, study them until you've memorized them and utilized them to the max.
Update (Please don't quote) :
Thanks for the support and ideas everyone. I've managed to get interviews with several companies in my homestate. This last week i've had an interview almost everyday, for some reason im getting allot of jobs I've applied for contacting me all at once in my homestate. I still haven't heard anything from jobs in Seattle or Portland. Right now im thinking I'll stay here if I can get a job, because at least its a job. Job wise its not high paying stuff and they probably won't pay for insurance, but at least its a job. I'm looking at some housing down here and it is promising. I still really want to (and have been wanting to for a long time now) move up the PNW, but I guess that will have to wait (even longer :( ). I think I might have a job offer in the next day or so from one of the companies I've been applying for. But again its part-time, close to minimum wage, so hopefully I'll get an other job offer or two that I can work as well.
This isn't the ideal place to transition, but I guess if I stay here I'll have to make it work. I think the companies I might be working for (i'm looking to work 2-3 jobs, since everything is part-time down here) won't be offering insurance or anything. I'm kinda on edge about trying to transition, gonna have to be very careful about doing it here (more so vs states with LGBT protections).
Summer is pretty much here and all the women are out wearing their short skirts and short shorts. Makes me think passing will be impossible, considering what they look like and what I look like.
if you decide to move up to Seattle at some point. I know an awesome support group, Gender Alliance of the South Sound( GASS). They do a lot of Social events for the trans community.