what ever the future holds for me one thing I'll be forever grateful for is a place called Susan's. It's the internet, but the people that I've come to talk with are really people that are good to know. I don't know how long I'll be here, but its a great place to sit back and get info and figure things out. It's pretty amazing that someone thought to help others with a situation a lot of people don't understand. honestly if I hadn't found Susan's when I got hold of the golden fleece ,I'd be one lost little camper. just a minor unexpected rant.
Susan's place has also helped me in many ways without this place I would be lost, I have met so many wonderful people here, including one wonderful woman who has been there for me when everybody else in my life has left me stranded ;D
The friendship, information and support I've found here has been priceless. Realising that I wasn't going through this alone was strangely very comforting.
Quote from: Ms Grace on November 06, 2014, 08:27:28 PM
The friendship, information and support I've found here has been priceless. Realising that I wasn't going through this alone was strangely very comforting.
ditto
Early on it was nice to get things off my chest and it's nice to know others face eerily similar situations and problems, but it hasn't been life alteringly helpful. I've still found doctors, therapists, friends, family, and other trans people locally to be far more helpful. This place is nice, but it's the internet and you still keep yourself cooped up and hidden, which is the problem most trans people face early and before acceptance. This place is nice, but I haven't relied on it too much.
Its great to know that I'm not the only one dealing with these sorts of issues :p Susans has made me feel normal(-ish) again after 18 yrs of feeling like a freak. So thanks everyone this site has made a massive difference to my mental well-being and has enabled to look to the future.
So thank you :)
when I stumbled onto this site it was a revelation to see what the community was really like.
I'm new to this place but it has been overwhelming to hear similar stories and get sympathy for stuff I've only ever hated myself for.
I know I haven't posted much over the 2 and half years since I signed up
but in those years I have lurked quite a bit. This has helped me so much
more than I can ever say. Just seeing that other people are going through
the same struggles that I have gone through has shown me that those struggles
are real and not something that I made up in my mind.
There are many members here more than I write that have the confidence to
show and tell others how they overcame their trouble spots. This may not
seem to big of a deal to those that did it but to me it is. It is not easy to
admit our struggles so the ones that do I applaud them. I wish I could hug them
but with the distance between us that would be hard.
Without Susan's here I hate to thank were I would be right now.
I would have caved in without Susan's and my therapist. Really.
This is the place I can go to to talk about anything. Especially trans related stuff because my cis friends often have a limit on what they want to hear and my trans friends have busy schedules.
I'm firmly convinced that if it were not for Susan's I would still be living unhappily as a man.
Quote from: suzifrommd on November 07, 2014, 06:46:22 AM
I'm firmly convinced that if it were not for Susan's I would still be living unhappily as a man.
the only transgenders I know are from Susan's except one I worked with.
It is occasionally useful. I used to use it a lot to get information on stuff, before I even registered. There are a few really great people on here though who have been around for years and willing to help anyone in what little they can, which is nice, like a certain aristocratic feline. A lot of the time though unless you are in the club it aint all that supportive, but hey, it is like that in most communities. I will say though that this place was the first place I came out at though and so was ultimately invaluable to me.
Honestly, if you're trans, probably not. It's hard to imagine that I've benefited as much as those the site was designed to support. However, I would say that I've benefited surprisingly well for a cis person, a visitor from the peanut gallery, so to speak. If that were not true, I doubt I'd still be visiting so regularly years later. I frequently reference this forum as an example of how to do a forum right when I'm on other forums. The folks here are awesome and fun and I've learned so much that would be hard to learn without personally knowing a whole lot of trans people.
Being able to verbalize what I've been feeling for so long and have kept hidden for so long as been absolutely liberating. The amazing amount of support and information to be found at Susan's can be breathtaking at times. I would be so lost if I did not find this place. There are so many wonderful people here that I have met and I so enjoy waking up in the morning with the knowledge that I have so many friends here. I never thought there were so many fantastic people that identified with me.
Hugs,
Melissa Ann
Definetly knowing I wasn't alone has helped so much. And I've met some great people, and one who is already a valued and trusted friend of mine, what would I do without you girlfriend!
Quote from: stephaniec on November 06, 2014, 09:26:41 PM
when I stumbled onto this site it was a revelation to see what the community was really like.
This really sums it up for me.
However, it has been a combination of Susan's, YouTube and other places that really opened my eyes.
And Susan's played a huge part in me coming out and taking real steps towards being the real me, to the point where I actually have real dates and goals, and not just a desire and a dream.
And yes my therapist has been helpful but honestly not all that much. Maybe the new one will be better, so I heard about her. But like it was when I was in college, a lot of it is learning by yourself and learning from your peers.
I have regrettably not been very fortunate when it comes to friends, so when I first began to have questions about who I really was there wasn't anyone to talk to.
In that sense, this site and the internet as a whole has been a fantastic treasure to me. When I don't have close girl friends to ask about clothing, or shaving, or anything really, I find myself going around here and not only do I get the information but see great stories and great people all over.
It's made the process so much simpler and comfortable since I feel I always know what to expect, and whenever I feel down and wonder if I'll ever be who I want to be, it helps me coming here and seeing that it is indeed possible as I am not alone in this path.
Also, my doctors keep trying to get me to attend local trans support groups but they're always so far or during work hours. So instead I find myself coming here more and relying on you fine ladies ^^
Susan's has been extremely helpful for me!
I read much more than I post -- posting primarily when I feel I have something to add to a discussion that has not yet been made, or (like this topic) where a count or vote of responses helps to answer a question.
I've not found another source of trans information that is as active, relevant, or helpful. I also really appreciate that many topics contain posts with a wide variety of insights and opinions. My personal "trans-journey" of (1) working to understand myself and (2) start down the transition path would have been *much* more difficult if not for Susan's and the people that make up this community.
Kim :)
Susan's has allowed me a chance to express myself and bounce thoughts off of other people. It has helped me learn to be myself, though I know I'm just starting to really learn. It has provided thought provoking questions and a myriad of perspectives to try and answer those questions. It has helped me find a few other resources and I have met quite a few interesting characters from around the world. I don't think I would be as far along, mentally, in my transition, without the community here at Susan's as I am. I would probably still be floundering lost, with only a vague idea of what is going on inside me. (In case you haven't figured it out, I haven't started therapy yet. though I will be setting up an appointment within the next month)
Just my perspective on Susan's.
Being new and mostly a lurker I can still say it is easy to spot that this is a wonderful community. :) It does seem like an amazing place especially compared to the last forum I tried participating in. It wasnt a horrible place at all but it was mostly just a whole lot of cheer leading going on and serious discussion were heavily moderated.
When I found Susan's Place, back in 2005, I was searching for information to help me deal with the realization, my epiphany so to speak, that I really was transsexual and needed to start making some major changes in my life. The site was a great deal smaller and more intimate at the time but, even then, I found information, support and most importantly, I found hope that my life was not necessarily at its end, that people could and did successfully deal with the same issues I had.
One of the biggest benefits of peer support is this instigation of hope, the presentation of role models who prove, just by existing, that hope is not a pipe dream. While meeting trans people in person, at a support group in Buffalo, NY, helped me in other ways, the knowledge and support I received here made a life changing difference.
It's why I wanted to work here, to hopefully foster a little of that hope and optimism in others who have come after me.
hugs & smiles
HelenW
Quote from: KimSails on November 07, 2014, 10:52:00 AM
Susan's has been extremely helpful for me!
I read much more than I post -- posting primarily when I feel I have something to add to a discussion that has not yet been made, or (like this topic) where a count or vote of responses helps to answer a question.
I've not found another source of trans information that is as active, relevant, or helpful. I also really appreciate that many topics contain posts with a wide variety of insights and opinions. My personal "trans-journey" of (1) working to understand myself and (2) start down the transition path would have been *much* more difficult if not for Susan's and the people that make up this community.
Kim :)
I'm in such agreement with this "analysis" and experience The thing that's wonderful about
Susan's is the overall variety and "sanity" of everyone who participates. During and "in and out", "up
and down" journey, I've visited other similar sites, and even participated, but I simply love the "wholeness" of the approaches of everyone here.
Not really. I would be me regardless but I am forever grateful to Susan for her websight. I am grateful to not feel so alone. Well not really alone bet less isolated. But even alone and isolated I was handling it pretty well, not much different than now. I am also grateful to every member here. Just to hear of different experiences. The one thing that it did allow me to see is that we as transgender are normal people. That is kind of a let down because I always thought I was "special". ;) But seriously though. It has helped me to see that there are more of us than what I ever thought there was. And that we span many different spectrums from religion to politics to education levels and career choices. I really don't mind being abnormal but this and everyone here has made me feel normal. We all share one thing, well two things and that is we are human and we are normal. Maybe even more normal than some in society. Not to mention that we are extremely strong and for the most part can lean on one another when we are down. That truly is a special virtue in a person. We lose someone and they are faceless, we all cry. We all hurt. We all grieve. For the most part the rest of society unless they were close friends, lose someone like a nieghbor it is just going through the motions more than true feeling and emotions.
OK. Seriously in all honesty. Yes. Susan's has allowed me to see the true nature of being transgender is deeper and more empathetic, sypethetic and compassionate than most everyone else. It has actually made me more proud of who I am than anything else could ever have. So thank you Susan and every member here. From the bottom of my heart.
It has definitely been a major support place, where you can share your experiences, help others and also feel good with plenty of encouragement, positive criticism, super useful information and hard to find experience, expectations. I think for hundreds/thousands of us it would not be the same without this :).
Before I found this place I knew nothing about trans or transitioning. That's kinda shocking to me but I did live a sheltered, spoiled life. Coming here made me question A LOT of things, things I never thought about or questioned myself about beforehand but yet did or was doing consistently. Reading intros/stories, seeing before/afters, learning about process of transitioning, hearing the difficulties and successes, all that helped me so very much, I'd say much more so than seeing a therapist (which I started cuz of this place lol). There are many awesome people here who genuinely want to help and take the time and go out of their way to try to do so. So ya, I'd say this place helped me out quite a bit.
it's nice to see members who've been around for awhile share their stories