I know that many heterosexual transmen and women found comfort in the gay and lesbian communities prior to transition.
For transwomen in the gay community and transmen in the lesbian community - how was your transition received?
How did your community (gay men or lesbians) react?
And post transition - do you still feel welcome in that community?

I never particularly felt either at home or comfortable in the gay community, males that is. Not that i was ever harassed in any way. It was MY comfort level that was at question. (Some of why I have told you.)

The lesbians I have been around and among have always been sweethearts.

Strangely, so have the FTMs I have known IRL. Great guys.

I mingle with a number of lesbians still and yep, feel perfectly at home. Especially here in our apt complex where there are a number (6) partnered couples besides ourselves.

I really haven't been intimately exposed to a lot of radical-lesbian '->-bleeped-<- haters' and the few I have been I have been in the odd situation of listening to diatribes about TSes while they seemed perfectly unaware that an ex one was sitting at table with them.

Ya know, I spoz, Nero, what I really and truly think should be so is that people just be recognized as people with their flaws and gifts and similarity of 'bleeding when they are cut.' I know that is idealistic, but what the heck, it just seems so sane to me.

Nichole

My activities in our community here in Kingston invariably put me in contact with the Gay and Lesbian community both at Queens University and in the city itself.  I was always accepted by those who knew, and I was asked on several occasions to speak about my situation to their groups.

However I never felt the need or urge to associate with them in either a social setting or sort refuge or support from them.  I am not apart of them, as I am heterosexual.

Steph

I was never part of that community. I do know lots of lesbian couples and lots of Gay couples and singles too. I have met a few bisexuals and some intersexed. I was on our local PFLAG board for a couple of years and was part of the community then. I, like Steph, gave lots of talks in the community that I live in, but now I'm not part of any group anymore, I'm just me. I go to work and come home. I have a pretty boring life now. I'm a woman who comes home and makes dinner sometimes, we share the chores. We only go out on Friday night and that is by ourselves and to dinner. We have a few drinks and by 10 we are in bed. During the week its 9 PM. Our neighbors are lesbian and we talk with them when we are out doing chores. I don't know what sexual thing I am anyway.
Sheila